Eye of the Storm
by Thecivillian
Summary: Set one year after Max Caulfield made the impossible choice. Work in progress
1. Chapter 1

**Set one year after Max Caulfield made the impossible choice.**

 **Work in progress**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Memento Mori**

 **October 7th, 2014 - Price House, Chloe's Bedroom – Early Afternoon**

* * *

" **And Max Caulfield… don't you ever forget about me…** "

Those painfully familiar words resounded in the young brunette's mind as she gradually stirred from yet another restless night's sleep. Bright morning sunlight filtered through the faded American flag used as a makeshift curtain, falling on the bed. It made her turn away, burying her head in the pillows and blankets to shut out the invasive wake up call. A familiar aroma of weed, cigarettes, and body wash filled her nostrils as she clutched onto her friend's pillow like a life raft.

A flock of birds happily chirruped away somewhere outside, so carefree as they sang their morning tunes. The sound could not less appropriately fit Max's mindset. Reluctantly, she sat up and looked around the room which used to – and still did – belong to her blue-haired punk, Chloe Price. It had been a whole year since that fateful day and the room still looked the same, albeit tidier. A few new additions had been made, mostly early childhood photos of two dorky looking teens a blonde and a brunette in various outfits, most notably pirate costumes.

Joyce had offered her the room shortly after the bluenette's funeral along with her truck, both of which Max had accepted. Since then, neither had changed much. She couldn't bring herself to alter it, even taking out the trash had been hard. Anything Chloe had touched was another link to her and it felt awful to throw it away… like she was erasing part of her presence, evidence she had ever existed.

Dragging herself out of bed, Max flicked the stereo on. Santa Monica Dream, the first song that played when she and Chloe had reunited, came from the speakers. She stood still for a few moments and listened to the soft guitar and melancholic lyrics filling the air. The melody evoked a ton of memories… all tied to her year-long dead friend.

Eventually, she wandered over to the closet – where she had once played out childhood fantasies – to put on her outfit for the day. A pair of faded blue jeans, red checked shirt, three-quarter length black boots, Chloe's signature leather jacket, and tri-bullet necklace.

 _'A mixture of old and now. Lost and found… then lost again…_ ' she thought bitterly as a memory forced its way into her head.

" **I double dare you, kiss me now** ," the echoey voice challenged, just as clear as the day it was spoken.

' _Yes. A million times yes. In any reality…_ ' A weak smile tugged at her lips, eyes stinging a little as she wandered over to the mirror. Stuck to it was a picture of Rachel and Chloe, the bluenette flipping off the camera. "Morning, guys. I'll be coming to see you later. Wait for me, okay?"

Checking out her haggard reflection – the result of sleepless nights and prolonged emotional distress – she ran her fingers through her hair. There was a single faded blue streak alongside a dirty blonde strand, in remembrance of Arcadia's angels. Two girls who changed the course of fate in this sleepy town… but paid the ultimate price.

Heading over to the dresser, she pulled out an envelope and her faithful – if tatty – diary, alongside a bag with several joints inside. Pocketing the latter, she turned to head out of the room. Hesitating, she swore she could almost see Chloe jumping on the bed, dancing to music.

" **This song fucking rules. What's the matter? Can't dance, hippie? C'mon, shake that boney white ass!** "

'Still _can't dance… not that it matters anymore…_ ' Heading downstairs, she found the house empty. Joyce was working a double shift today, not due to finish till the early hours of the next morning. 'Guess Joyce finds it easier to work, especially today of all days.'

Placing her diary on the dining table along with a letter, she set about making herself some coffee. Downing it, she took one last look around the house that was practically her childhood home. Her gaze zeroed in on the wine stain still decorating the carpet.

" **C'mon, open it chicken!** " a much younger Chloe Price demanded.

" **Hold on, and I'm not a chicken**!"

 **"Prove it! You drink first, Max,"** her friend's tone was mischievous, coaxing.

"You were braver than me in the end, Chloe. Braver than anyone", Max mumbled, wiping fresh tears from her cheeks as she smiled weakly at the memory. "I hope you don't hate me for this…"

Before she left, she checked her messages one last time. ' _Nothing… guess that's what happens when you shut yourself off from the world. Then again, my world died a year ago…_ ' Sighing, she tossed her phone on the table with a clatter, giving her journal a final look. 'Goodbye, old friend. Thanks for being there for me, but I'm beyond broken now. No amount of scrapbooking will change that.' With that, she grabbed the keys to Chloe's truck and headed outside. Not once did she look back. Her mind was already made up.

After driving aimlessly for a few hours, she made her way up to a painfully familiar spot, by far the worst out of the long list. Dragging her feet, she slumped down on the rickety wooden bench, watching waves crash against the cliffs. A few gulls cried as they glided overhead, the old lighthouse standing ever vigilant over the bay.

Taking a joint from the baggie, she lit it and took a deep hit, letting the warmth flow down her throat. ' _See guys, I'm not so chickenshit anymore…_ '

As much as she wanted to smile at the irony, she just couldn't. It was too painful. She sat there for some time, working her way through the joint. If anybody needed to get high in Arcadia, it was her.

' _Rachel, I hope you've been looking after Chloe for me. Won't be long now… then, I can leave this fucking awful place behind me. Forever.'_ It had taken her this long to work up the courage to do what she had planned today, a whole year of debating. In the end, there was nothing left in Arcadia for her anymore... no reason to stay.

' _This is where it all started, with that stupid dream… even after all this time, it felt so real. This is where we reconnected after all those years. Where I finally realized that… I loved you, Chloe. And the last time I saw you… alive_.' Max could feel herself tearing up, angrily swiping at her eyes.

" **Wherever I end up, in whatever reality, all those moments between us were real, and they always will be. Whatever you choose, I know you'll make the right decision**." Chloe's words of comfort, amongst her final ever spoken on this earth, swirled in the young time traveler's mind.

"Did I, Chloe?" she muttered, recalling her friend's words with crystal clarity. "Did I make the right decision? If I did… then, why does it hurt so damn much? Nothing feels… real, anymore. If this is the right decision, you not being by my side, maybe I don't want to be right."

She spent the next few hours staring out over the cliff, watching the sun sink further into the horizon. Everything felt numb, physically present but emotionally distant. Being here was bittersweet, all her memories tainted. Eventually, she moved on. There were still places she needed to visit before the day was done.

The beat-up yellow truck pulled up at its final resting place… Arcadia Bay's junkyard. It had been left untouched since Rachel's body had been discovered and reburied in the cemetery, alongside Chloe Price. Shutting off the engine, she got out. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows amidst the wrecked cars and appliances.

A familiar ghostly doe stood waiting on the far-left side, police tape still lingering from the investigation. ' _I've been planning to do this for months… but I guess you already knew that, didn't you, Rachel?'_

As Max approached, it watched her kneel and dig a small hole in the dirt with her bare hands, placing Chloe's keys inside before filling it. Task done, she entered the unassuming gray brick shelter that once belonged to the bluenette and her blonde companion. They had claimed it with graffiti and personal belongings, more like a shrine now than a sanctuary.

Sitting herself down on one of the old chairs, she pulled out another joint. As she inhaled, she let the soft fuzz work its way over her. On the far wall, black writing stood out against the dull gray, defiantly resisting the wear of time.

 **Chloe was here**

 **Rachel was here**

 **Max was here**

Rummaging around in a small box of odds and ends, Max found a working marker pen and got to her feet. Crossing the room, she updated the message.

 **Chloe IS here**

 **Rachel IS here**

 **Max IS here**

"Much better," Max announced softly as she examined her handiwork. "I always feel closer to you here."

As expected, she couldn't help but recall her and Chloe's time at the junkyard, on the Tuesday of that fucked up week. " **Can you go find me some bottles while I prep the shooting range… pretty please…** "

" **You saved me again. crazy. now we're totally bonded for life!** "

Once she was done at the junkyard, she wandered back towards the town center on foot. She didn't even notice time pass, everything merging into one seemingly unending path. Finally, she made it, street lamps flickering as the evening sun began to set. Many businesses were closing for the day, not the Two Whales, though. From this distance, she could just about make out Joyce chatting away to customers and a few kids playing on one of the new driving game arcade machines.

Under normal circumstances, she would've gone in… not tonight. There was somewhere she had to be and seeing Joyce again might make her resolve falter. Walking a few blocks, she entered the twenty-four-hour Sav-Mart, the very same one William Price never made it to… killed in a car crash.

Hanging back, she waited for the cashier to disappear into the back room. ' _Chloe, I can imagine you being so pumped about me doing this sorta thing. From the sounds of it, Rachel would too._ ' The coast clear, she entered the store and heaved herself up over the counter. She helped herself to a bottle of whiskey, leaving $30 in its place. ' _Still the unwavering moral compass, I'm afraid… well, mostly_.'

She leaped off the counter just as the cashier re-entered the main section of the store. The second he saw her, he stomped closer shouting. Without even flinching, she raced outside, throwing her hand up to rewind the last thirty seconds or so. The cashier was left none the wiser.

Twisting the top, she brought the bottle to her lips and inhaled the smell of strong liquor before taking a mouthful. The rich liquid burned as it rushed down her throat, warming her stomach. ' _Doesn't taste that bad, I guess. Cheers, guys._ ' She raised the bottle before taking another swig.

Checking the baggie, finding three joints left, and everything else she needed in her other pocket, she headed towards her final destination. ' _Everything's set. Time to go…'_

* * *

The first light of dawn signaled the beginning of a new day as Joyce finally returned home. Today had been a long, busy shift and all she wanted to do was sleep. Sighing when she noticed the yellow truck's absence, she entered her house. David would be home soon, so she wouldn't have to be alone for long.

Flicking the kettle on, she headed to the kitchen and shot Max a text to check she was okay. _'Poor girl… she's really struggling. I bet she still feels guilty for not getting in touch sooner.'_

When she heard a quiet buzz on the table, she went over to investigate. She found Max's phone and what she assumed was the young girl's diary, alongside an envelope addressed to herself. As she picked the letter up, a sense of dread began to consume her. Taking a seat, she opened it and began to read.

* * *

 _Dear Joyce,_

 _By the time you read this, it'll be morning. I hope you're not too tired from your shift and I'm sorry to not be there when you get back. I know how much you hate being alone… especially after what happened to Chloe. There is something I need to tell you. It's all in my diary, which I now leave to you. You DESERVE to know the truth, even if I'm too much of a coward to tell you in person... the truth about Chloe._

 _You see, I did meet her again. We had the most amazing and scary week, filled with danger, laughter, tears… and love. That week we shared never happened though, at least not for you or the rest of Arcadia Bay. I warn you now, this will be hard to believe. Aside from Chloe, you're the only other person I could never lie to. So, here goes._

 _One year ago, I met up with Chloe again. That was the day I discovered I could do something I thought was completely impossible, science fiction. That day – October 7th, 2013 – was when I discovered I could rewind time. With my newfound power, I saved Chloe from getting shot. I'm not joking, I swear._

 _By chance, I bumped into her again later and she saved me, in a smaller way. After getting thoroughly chewed out for not getting in touch sooner – which I TOTALLY deserved – we kinda picked up where we left off. Like no time had passed. And yes, I told Chloe about my power. As you can imagine, she was all over it. Some of the_ mischief _we got into was fun… unnecessary spoiler alert, this doesn't have a happy ending._

 _I offered to help Chloe find her six months missing friend… girlfriend… uh, still don't really know what's going on there, Rachel Amber. So, we began searching for clues. Eventually, everything led to Nathan Prescott, and later on Mark Jefferson as you know. We also found Rachel's body… buried in the junkyard. Just thinking about that moment hurts. You should've seen Chloe. I've never seen her so crushed. It tore me up._

 _It wasn't all doom and gloom. We went swimming at Blackwell's pool late one night. David knew someone had been there, and somehow you seemed to know it was us but didn't say anything. I wish we had trusted David more from the start. Problem is, he can come across as a little… well, not friendly. He kinda scared me when we first met, but I know he's a good man who cared about you and Chloe._

 _Anyway, to the point of this letter. Your daughter, our Chloe, was the bravest person I have ever known. And here's why. My time meddling caused some crazy shit: a snowstorm, dead animals, two moons, and on Friday 11th, October… a stupidly HUGE tornado poised to swallow Arcadia whole._

 _Three things happened that day. First, it was the day I realized I was in love with Chloe, completely and unconditionally. The second, that huge tornado from my visions was real. Finally, it was the day Chloe Elizabeth Price showed her true colors. Despite owing Arcadia nothing, less than nothing, she convinced me to go back to Monday and let her… die._

 _She wasn't the only one to die that day. I did, too in my own way. Every day for the past year, I wished I could've joined her then, seen her one last time and told her everything she deserved to hear. I made the choice to sacrifice her to save Arcadia Bay, to basically kill the woman I love myself. Worst, she died thinking nobody gave a shit, least of all me. That couldn't be fucking further from the truth. And… I was literally only feet away, where all I could do was listen, and cry as her life was ended._

 _I honored her wishes, even though every fiber of my being told me otherwise. I even burned the butterfly photo to prevent me from undoing it, because I knew I would falter. Believe me, I have tried. I have no way of going back. Sure, I can rewind but… not a whole year._

 _There's way more detail in my diary, explaining everything better. It's up to you who you tell. So long as you know the truth… CHLOE ELIZABETH PRICE gave herself to save Arcadia Bay. She and Rachel are the angels Arcadia didn't deserve, but they protected it with their lives._

 _Of course, by now you know what this means. And you're probably crying or blaming yourself. Don't. Nobody could fix me… well, the one person who could is beyond my reach. Which is why I've made my final decision._

 _By now, I've watched the first light of day, and my last. I'm going to see them, Chloe and Rachel. I need to be with my blue-haired punk._

 _I'm sorry, Joyce and I love you._

 _Max_

 _P.S. I've already sent my mom and dad a letter. They will know a few hours from now xxx_

* * *

Tears were rolling thick and fast down the older woman's cheeks as she tried to absorb what she was reading. The tattered book next to her had a label stuck across the middle… ' **Capt. Chloe 'Bluebeard' Price and her first mate, Long Max Silver. Partners in crime and in TIME**.'

A sense of dread filled her to the core as the implication of Max's words began to paint a very grim prospect. The sound of a car pulling into the driveway snapped her out of her daze. Springing to her feet, she launched herself to the door flinging it open just as David was about to put his key in the lock. Without thinking she snatched the keys from him and ran over to the car, getting in and firing up the engine.

"What the…?" he began, frowning at the unexpected move.

"GET IN!" Joyce practically screamed as she flung the passenger door open and slammed the muscle car into reverse.

Not arguing, David got into the passenger side only to have a slightly crumpled letter thrust at him as he closed the door. The engine roaring into life as Joyce backed the car out aggressively. "What on earth…?"

"Read it," she snapped, pointing to the letter in his hand. "The last paragraph."

Scanning the letter, David was only mildly aware of the engine roaring as his wife floored the accelerator down the street. He quickly found the last part Joyce was talking about, the color draining from his face as he read. "Oh god... you don't think…?"

Wiping the tears from her face, the older woman just nodded as she gripped the steering wheel tighter and pressed her foot on the accelerator. Running a red light, she narrowly avoided a dump truck on its early morning route. The sound of a police siren began blaring behind them, not that it slowed her down at all.

"Jesus woman... where did you learn to drive?" David grunted, gripping the side of his seat.

"That stupid racing game at the Two Whales," Joyce replied in such a way that is was hard to tell if she was joking or not.

Raising his eyebrows, David let out another groan as the car took a hard-left, throwing him into the door, the police car still in hot pursuit. "Where would she even be?"

"The only place she could be as close to her as possible," she pointed out firmly.

Before David could reply, Joyce slammed the breaks. The tires squealed in protest as the vehicle came to an abrupt halt. Before the pursuing police car came to a stop itself, she was out of the car and sprinting up the path to Arcadia Bay's Cemetery. As she ran, she lost her heels in the process, not that it mattered. Only one thing did right now…

The early morning sun cast its peaceful glow over the graveyard, birds singing their hearts out. As she ran, she could've sworn that for just a second, she saw the ghostly figure of a doe in a familiar area she had visited herself many times. Rounding the corner of the pathway, she came to a row of recent tombstones.

Getting closer, her heart sank and a fresh round of tears ran down her face. She fell to her knees beside her own daughter's grave. On top was a single joint, partially burned, and a plastic cup filled with a dark brown liquid. The tombstone next to it belonged to Rachel Amber, which had undergone a similar treatment. At the foot of both were a broken whiskey bottle and a stubbed butt… with a small figure curled up in a black leather jacket, surrounded by a pool of dark red liquid.

Tentatively, the older woman reached forward to roll the figure towards her. A heart-wracking sob erupted from her as she confirmed her worst fear. The arms were limp, each containing a deep gash running down the forearm. Loosely clutched in one hand was a bloodied, jagged shard of glass, which Joyce swatted away as though it would make a difference now.

Tugging the cold, unmoving body closer in a fierce hug, she completely gave way to the overwhelming despair threatening to consume her. With shaking fingers, she wiped away the faded blue and blonde streaks of hair to reveal the pale freckled face of Max Caulfield.


	2. Chapter 2

**Last Lights**

 **Hey guys**

 **Sorry, it's been a while but what with the X-mas season and Real life throwing me a curveball things have been hectic, to say the least.**

 **But here is chapter two, This one has to be happier than the previous chapter...right!.**

* * *

 **March 28th, 2013**

A chilly breeze swept through the almost deserted streets, darkness rapidly falling. Streetlamps flickered to life pre-emptively, ready to illuminate the way for late night travelers. It was quiet, too quiet. Eerily so. The only sounds to be heard were the occasional passing car, animals rustling in the bushes and the odd passing voice. Despite the unforgiving evening, one person had decided to brave the cold.

A hazel-eyed blonde.

She wrapped herself up in her jacket, wishing she had brought something more heavy duty along. Her trademark blue feather earring fluttered with the next gust of wind, making her disappear further into her clothing. Not too far to go now. In fact, she could see her destination in the distance. A grand abode, fit for a family such as hers. For an asshole of a DA she wanted so desperately to hate... but couldn't quite bring herself to.

"Fuck..." She shuddered, wanting nothing more than to turn around right now.

Unfortunately, that wasn't an option. In all honesty, she didn't want to be here right now, but she needed a few things from her room. Things she couldn't simply replace. Especially since her father cut her credit card allowance after finding out her plans to skip town with Chloe Price. They should've left while they had the chance... before her father figured it all out. Not that they had the money to leave at that point. Still, maybe if they had tried harder...

Sighing, breath visibly spiraling as hot mingled with cold, she approached the door. Taking her hands out of her jacket pockets, she began searching for the key to her house. Well, it didn't feel like that anymore... not that it really had before now. It had been a place where she lived, but not home.

"Okay, come on, Rachel," the blonde muttered under her breath, psyching herself up. "You can do this. A quick in and out. Then... maybe you can get the fuck out of here. Forever."

Her little pep talk/vow delivered, she slid the key into the lock. A subtle click rang out into the near silence, the door swinging open as she stepped over the threshold. The interior was all too familiar to her, very organized and clean. It made her want to scream. Smash everything she could get ahold of. Set alight the remains and watch it burn. It symbolized everything she hated about life... and herself sometimes.

False perfection.

It was then she noticed someone sat in the chair, reading a newspaper. A graying head swiveled at the sound of the door opening, expression remaining unchanged. Although... there was a flicker of sadness in his eyes, one which betrayed his stoic exterior. She tried to ignore that. "Ah, I wondered when you would be coming by again. How's my little girl doing?"

Rachel frowned, almost snarling her response as she slammed the door. No point in being stealthy now. She had hoped nobody would be home. "Don't call me that. Ever. I'm not your little girl... and I wish you weren't my dad." She didn't really mean that, not entirely, but anger consumed her in that moment.

The older man sighed, setting his paper down and standing. His body was tense, features stern. "Rachel, this has gone too far. You can't still be angry at me, not after all these years."

That statement made her scoff, incredulous at his nonchalance. "Oh, can't I? I'm so sorry. How inconsiderate of me to not forgive my asshole of a 'father' for lying to me my entire fucking life."

Something in his face shifted, mild annoyance. "I've asked you not to use that kind of language in this house."

"Yet another fucking privilege you lost." Not giving him the chance to respond, she stormed up the stairs.

Leaving him in the lounge, she stomped across the landing and slammed the door to her room behind her. The sound echoed down the hall, a muffled grumble drifting from downstairs. Balling her fists, she fought the urge to just break everything in sight. One deep calming breath, another... When she had regained a semi-composed state of mind, she began rummaging around her room. Grabbing a holdall, she gathered together everything she would need. Mostly clothes, some she planned on wearing tonight including a special set of underwear for later.

The real reason she had come was for some photos, all of her and the pretty, blue-haired punk Chloe Price. Pausing, she took a moment to examine the memories. Three years worth. On the surface, they may seem like a weird fit but... Chloe was the only one Rachel trusted right now. The only person who had given her a reason to trust. Sure, they had fought plenty of times over the years, but they always made up in the end. She had never known anyone like the punk before.

Once changed, she gave the room a final look. With no real reason to ever come back to this place now, she headed downstairs. Bag slung over her shoulder, she made for the door. Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple.

James Amber stood in front of the door, blocking her escape. "You cant keep doing this, Rachel."

"Doing what?" She didn't want to listen, but if she did it might make him drop his guard. Then, she could make a break for it.

Jaw tightening, his expression became stern. "Disappearing for weeks on end, then coming back only to disappear again."

Rolling her eyes, she shifted her bag onto the other shoulder. "Well, maybe this time I won't come back. Then you don't have to wait up or anything. I'm sure that would set your mind at ease."

"That's not even funny," he snapped, brow twitching.

"Wasn't meant as a joke, now if you'll excuse me..." she muttered, trying to push her way past.

Before she could force her way through, she felt something tug on her bag. "Where are you going?"

She glared back at her dad, who was holding her back by the strap. "Oh, don't worry James, I'll still be at Blackwell. You know, since I don't exactly have a choice."

The use of his first name made him bristle. "Of course you have a choice."

"Oh yes, such a fucking choice," she hissed, fury rising. "Either stay here with someone I never want to see again or at Blackwell, since it's the only place I have after you cut my allowance. Or maybe I can go, oh I don't know, sell drugs or my body to get the cash I need. Bet you'd like that, huh."

His face turned pale at the insinuation. "No, you know I don't want you to do that. That's why I don't want you hanging around with that... delinquent. Who knows what trouble you'll get into."

"Right, can't have the DA's daughter doing such scandalous things. That's all you care about. All you've ever cared about. Not mom, not me... nobody but yourself. I just wish it hadn't taken me as long as it did to see that." In her rage, she yanked the holdall away from him. "Oh, and by the way. That 'delinquent'... her name is Chloe Price. My GIRLFRIEND. You better get used to that, because nothing will split us up. Don't worry about it, though. As soon as I graduate, we're getting the hell out of Arcadia. As far away from you as possible!" With that, she turned on her heel and flung the door open.

"Rachel! Don't you dare go out of that door, young lady!" he called after her as she stepped outside. The demand fell on deaf ears. "Wait! Please..." That much more vulnerable call made her falter. "I'm... sorry. I don't know how many more times you want me to say it. Please, what's it going to take to get my little girl back?"

Letting out a sigh, she turned around. Her hazel eyes fell on the man who had raised her, been a damn hero sometimes. She could still remember that day, the hiking trip gone wrong where she broke her wrist. The smell of his coat, the soothing sound of his voice as he carried her... did he deserve such scorn for one mistake? She wasn't sure anymore.

"I... don't know," she replied truthfully. "Maybe... maybe one day I'll forgive you. Maybe one day I'll need my dad... or maybe one day I'll need a favor from the DA..." her expression hardened, resolve strengthening, "but not today. And if I were you, I wouldn't hold my breath."

Before she changed her mind, she headed back to Blackwell on foot. Her father didn't call after her or follow; he'd done that before and it only drove her away. Swallowing hard, she pulled her phone out and made a call. Part of her felt awful for calling Frank after... everything, but he was the only one she could rely on right now to talk.

" **Hello** ," a familiarly gruff voice greeted.

"Hey, Frank... It's Rachel." Her voice was strained and flat, pushing back the few tears she had left.

Something shifted then, softer. " **Just been to ya folks, I take it?** "

She managed a wet, forced laugh. "Is it that obvious?"

" **It's not really hard to tell** ," he pointed out.

"Yeah, well..." she sighed, shoulders slumping as she walked. "I'm not sure what he expects from me, Frank."

He was quiet for a while, clearly trying to find the right words. " **Look, try not to think about that tonight. You're gonna have your hands full as it is**."

That made her sigh again. "I know..." She managed a weak and watery laugh. "You know, you're too nice considering what I did..."

She heard Frank exhale. " **Hey, I knew it was too good to last. Besides, that girl's got more balls than most guys I know**."

Rachel managed a smile at the reference to Chloe. "Yeah, and a temper to boot."

"Shit, don't I know it," he chuckled, turning more serious. " **Look, you have to tell her. Yeah, she's gonna be pissed... I think I'll make myself scarce for a few days while she cools down**."

"You're not scared of her, are you?" she asked, a mild flicker of teasing.

She could hear the half smile in his voice. " **Nope... just would rather not have that headache. I'll leave that for you.** "

The blonde shook her head. "And they say chivalry is dead."

" **Can you blame me? I'd rather my balls stayed where they were... not re-purposed as earrings or something.** " Both of them knew that, while he was joking, with Chloe... that might actually happen. Or at least a good, hard kick.

"Not really..." she agreed, rubbing her face with her hand. "Fuck, I am far too sober for this."

Having plenty of experience of drunk encounters, Frank warned her against that approach. " **I wouldn't suggest getting wasted. You're gonna need a cool head**."

"I'm not planning on getting wasted. Just a few drinks to unwind before the shitstorm…" One thing she knew for certain; there would be a shitstorm.

" **Dutch courage, huh** ," the older man replied.

"Something like that… Look, Frank, I'm sorry, okay. I shouldn't have even thought about…" She didn't get the chance to finish her sentence.

" **Look, I said don't worry about it. You were doing what you thought you had to.** " He let out a deep sigh. " **And shit, people have done worse for less.** "

"But still… I don't want to be that kind of person." She hated her dad for what he did, but... hadn't she been doing something similar?

Voice suddenly softer, Frank filled the silence. " **Rachel... look, you made a mistake. It happens to the best of us. I'm not saying telling her is going to be easy, but in the long run, being honest with her is for the best. For you, too.** "

Frank was only telling her what she'd been telling herself for a long time. "I know, I know. It's just… I don't want to... Never meant to hurt her."

"You don't need to tell me that," he paused for a few seconds. " **One thing I know about Chloe, she's one tough cookie.** "

"Most of her hardassness is just an act, Frank," Rachel explained, guilt eating away at her again.

The blond man managed a half-hearted laugh. " **In that case, you have somethin' else in common**."

Rachel went to answer, closing her mouth when she realized he had a point. "Yeah, I guess so."

When she said nothing else, he cleared his throat. " **Listen, what do you want me to do with these pictures and letters?** "

Right now, the blonde just wanted to erase the past week or two. "Do whatever you want, burn them for all I care. I just want to forget that I almost became my dad."

" **Ouch... I'll try not to take it personally,** " Frank muttered.

Realizing how heartless that must've sounded, Rachel backtracked. "Shit, Frank... You know I didn't mean it like that."

He managed a gruff chuckle. " **I know... Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood. I'll keep 'em safe until you decide with a clear head. You could still use 'em for what they were intended."**

"I honestly don't know anymore…" she sighed, noticing her destination swiftly approaching. "Thanks, Frank. Look, I gotta go. I'm at Blackwell, as you can probably tell by the music."

" **Yeah, I hear it.** " There was a pause before he spoke again. " **Take care, girl. And good luck.** "

Taking a deep breath, Rachel steadied her resolve. "Thanks, I'm gonna need it."

Once she had hung up on Frank, she made her way into the thick of the party. A heavy bassline vibrated through her body, rocking her to the very core. It almost sounded alive. Lights flashed with piercing intensity, briefly illuminating the writhing mass of bodies dancing in a drunken stupor to the throbbing beat. Faces were illuminated, then plunged back into darkness. Both exposed and hidden, only showing a brief glimpse. A snapshot of reality.

For now, she cast aside her doubts and fears, heading straight to the drinks table. Downing her first drink in one... and the second, she took another and started her usual mingling. Almost everyone was happy to see her, except Victoria but that was nothing new. She tried to avoid the pixie blonde, not wanting her night ruined more than it already had been, but her success was limited. After some time, her attempt failed miserably.

Victoria sauntered over, sneering. "Look what the cat dragged in. What's a slut like you doing here? Oh wait, let me guess... doing what you do best. Whoring yourself out."

Locked into her second verbal combat for the night, kind of drunk now after... however many drinks and not ready to take any prisoners, the hazel-eyed blonde scoffed. "Sounds to me like you're describing yourself, Tori. I'm not the one trying to blow a teacher to get better grades."

Green eyes widened, then narrowed accompanied by a snarl. "What the fuck did you just say, bitch?"

"Hitting a little too close to the mark, huh?" Not wanting to deal with her right now, feeling woozy all of a sudden, Rachel turned around and left.

She could hear Victoria call after her, insults and demands. It wasn't even worth acknowledging. Needing some air, she stepped outside and hid away in a more secluded spot where hopefully nobody could find her. She leaned against the wall, feeling her head spin. Maybe she should've taken it easy. Too late now. Huddling up in her jacket, she felt around in her pockets for a lighter and a cigarette. When she came across the lighter she paused.

This one was Chloe's, the one she borrowed a few days ago. Worn from use, very low on lighter fluid, cheap as hell... yet it still worked. Still offered her that spark, compliant and eager. Ready to give her everything... even if she didn't deserve it...

Staring at it, she felt tears sting her eyes. "Way to fuck up everything..." she muttered, swiping at the tears clinging to her cheeks. "Can't put it off much longer."

Sighing, she pushed herself off the wall and made to head towards town. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pinch in the back of her neck. Reaching back to swat it away, the dizziness started hitting her much harder all of a sudden. She tried to speak, ask what the hell was going on, but her words came out slurred and unintelligible. Within a few moments, her knees buckled with her body following. She slammed against the grass, too numb to feel the full impact. It still hurt, though. Face firmly pressed into the ground, she tried to move onto her back to no avail. Vision blurred, her world went black around the edges. Fighting a losing battle to stay awake, she tried to focus on her surroundings.

The last thing she saw, a vaguely familiar brown shoe. The last thing she heard, a soft grunt of exertion and shuffling. The last thing she felt, her body lifted from the cold ground.

After that, everything went dark as she lost consciousness.

* * *

A bright flash, muffled footsteps and whispered mutterings welcomed the blonde back to awareness. Pins and needles shot up both arms, which were restrained awkwardly behind her back, as her eyes struggled to adjust to her surroundings. She didn't recognize the room she found herself in, white and cold. An ominous aura hung in the air, sending goosebumps along her exposed skin.

Everything about this place felt... wrong. Evil.

"Ow, my head..." Rachel muttered trying to right herself, her body refusing to respond.

"Finally awake, huh?" the voice rang out, a hint of instability.

Her blood froze, hazel eyes lazily seeking out the source. Vision still hazy, she finally noticed who was speaking. She had half-expected it, but the sight still made her feel angry. "N... Nathan..."

He offered a twisted smile, reminiscent of those depicted in horror films... except one million times scarier. "I was wondering how long it'd take. I was starting to get lonely."

It was then that she noticed the camera clenched in his hands, finger twitching over the button. In her drug-addled state, it took her longer than usual to start making assumptions. She was trapped here... wherever here was... with a highly unstable Nathan Prescott. Over the past few weeks, he'd totally gone off the rails. Shut himself away. There had been so many rumors about his drastic shift in behavior, none of them even close to this reality.

"Where...?" she croaked, a weak cough cutting her off.

Nathan approached her, long strides. "You're in the Dark Room. My father paid for it. What do you think? State of the art photo equipment. As a model, I'm sure you can appreciate it. Speaking of..." He fiddled with the camera, blue eyes clinically examining her like a predator would its prey. "I think it's time for another round of photos, don't you?"

She didn't get the chance to reply. A bright flash blinded her, making her recoil. Hands positioned her, hurting when she refused to comply. She heard the clicks, eyes invaded by sharp pinpricks of light. All the while, he muttered under his breath, totally oblivious to the real world. She had no idea what was going on in that head of his, didn't want to know. As angry as she was, she was equally terrified. Who could blame her?

Strength slowly returning, she kicked out narrowly avoiding his shin. The failed attack took a lot out of her.

Unfazed, the blond boy crouched down by her face. "Feisty. You always were. That's part of the reason why I chose you," he paused, tilting his head slightly as blue eyes pierced hazel. "I want to see the real Rachel Amber. The one behind the masks. I bet not many people have seen that girl. Maybe not even Chloe, hmm."

Hearing her name come from Nathan's lips, a twisted glee from tormenting her in this way, set a fire alight deep down inside. If her wrists and ankles were free, she would beat him black and blue. Maybe even kill him in her rage. She had an explosive temper, not best tested. And that was when her life wasn't in danger. Then dread flooded her body. What if he went after Chloe next. Right now, she didn't care about herself. For all her fuck ups, she loved the bluenette. More than anything.

If that motherfucker so much as laid a single finger on Chloe Price... she would make him pay.

At the hatred in her hazel eyes, he smiled. "There it is. There's that unadulterated rage, the unrestraint hatred... the hidden fear. The side you don't want anyone to see. Vulnerable. The best part, I can capture it all, reach out and take it... if I wanted." He moves his hand to brush her hair off her face with an almost fond smile, creepy.

Recoiling from his touch, she growled, "Fuck... you..."

Expression stoic, he grabbed hold of her chin and forced her to look at him. "Come now, that's not nice." He scoffed, grimacing. "Then again, you're not. At first, I thought you were different, that you actually cared." Teeth gritting, his fingers dug into her cheeks making her wince. "But you're like the rest of them. You only give a shit if there is something in it for you. You manipulate people to your own end without caring what happens to them, how they feel." He was shaking now, not focusing on her. Eyes bloodshot, dark circles, pale skin. Now, he was practically shouting. "You pretend, but you don't care about ANYONE!"

His voice rang out, echoed off the walls. The worst part was, Rachel knew he was right. Well, partly. It was more complicated than that.

Eyebrow twitching, his eyes focused on her again. He took a deep breath, leaning in close. His voice was little more than a whisper now. "Well, except yourself."

Suddenly, he forced her back down. Rachel's head crashed against the cold floor, making her groan. The impact made her head spin all over again, a dull ache shooting through her mind. Not strong enough to lift herself back up, she let her head rest limply where it landed.

When she didn't feel like she was going to throw up, she opened her eyes. "You don't... know me..."

"Don't I?" he asked, shaking his head. Once again, he crouched down beside her, almost sympathetic. "I know you better than you think. Because we're not so different."

"We are nothing alike," she snapped, voice weaker than she wanted.

He laughed, sharp and short. "Now, that's where you are wrong. We're both fucked up, our families to blame. You're just better at hiding it. And you have people who care, unlike me." Fingers tightened on the camera, anger flickering. "A pretty face does wonders, huh. People start giving a shit."

Even in her dazed state, she could see him shaking. Rage or fear? She couldn't tell. Maybe both.

Letting out a deep sigh, he moved over to a wheeled cart. "Anyway, I'm done talking. And don't worry, come morning you won't remember a thing."

A few clangs later, he returned with a needle. Fear flooding her body, Rachel tried to lash out. Anything to get away. It wasn't enough. Once again, she felt a sharp sting in her neck, the world slowly fading away.

"Goodnight, Rachel."

* * *

Her body felt like ice. Bare skin rubbed against dirt, something weighing her down. Ragged breath, perhaps crying. A sharp sound followed by a soft slump, another load covering her almost lifeless body. She couldn't move, couldn't speak, almost couldn't breathe. Slow suffocation.

She would be dead soon, she could feel it. And there was nothing she could do.

The panic set in first, overwhelming. It lasted for a few moments before she realized the futility. Resigning herself to her fate, she thought of all her regrets. All the things she should have said and never have said. The people she'd fucked over, most who didn't deserve it. Her family, complicated and fucked up, but... they did love her. She knew that. Frank Bowers - a lonely man she had tried to take advantage of, who had been too good to her after what she did.

And Chloe Price... a girl she was supposed to love but had a messed up way of showing it. Fuck, if she could go back, what would she do differently? Shit, everything. Right from their first meeting at the concert. Rachel hadn't even got the chance to apologize for what she had done. Right now, she would take getting shouted at by the bluenette and hated forever over this.

In that moment, an old memory filtered through. Both a gift and a curse in her final moments.

* * *

 _A night of unexpected improvisation and plans to run away. Doubt embedded in blue eyes, not wanting to get hurt again._

 _"Chloe! What would it take to convince you?" Rachel asked, impatient._

 _One step closer, serious."Give me a promise in ink."_

 _Blonde eyebrows furrowed slightly, confused. "Like... a contract?"_

 _"Nope." A hand eagerly grabbed Rachel's left wrist, pulling a trademark pen from her back pocket._

 _Popping off the marker top, Chloe got to work. Before long, the outline of a star was visible. She let go of the blonde's wrist, returning the lid to the pen._

 _Giving the ink a playful tap, she began to explain. "This is temporary. The deal is, you get it done for real. Then I'll believe you."_

* * *

If she could go back then, she'd have dragged Chloe away. Fuck the consequences. Then none of this would've happened. Maybe they could've been happy. No, they would have been happy. What ifs meant nothing now.

As the pressure built up, Rachel just wished that the people she left behind would be better off without her...

* * *

 **Sorry, not sorry.**

 **Until next time peace out**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Past is Now**

 **Howdy readers, Hope you all had a good X-mas.**

 **Heres the next one. Enjoy**

* * *

Out of nowhere, a bright flash filled the room. It almost blinded Chloe Price, sharp pinpricks searing her retinas. Temporarily blinded, she blinked to alleviate the lack of vision. The more she did, the worse it seemed to get for a time. It made her feel so vulnerable, unable to remember where she was or what she had been doing.

Once her sight returned, mostly devoid of lingering light spots, a familiar scene began unfolding before her. One that had haunted her dreams, forever changed her.

" **Someday dad will get one of those newfangled computers** ," she heard a much younger, blonder version of herself say as she rushed to her father's side to check the new photo.

" **I hope the flash didn't scare you, Max**." He glanced down at the photo, his grin widening in approval. " **This is a keeper.** "

The blue-eyed blonde unceremoniously snatched the photo from him. " **Not until I see it first. Max, tell him!** " She turned to the freckled brunette, requesting backup.

" **That's the rules,** " Max confirmed, scrunching her nose up as she grinned.

" **Hmm, because Chloe is known for playing by the rule…"** he lightly teased, getting a glare from his daughter. " **Okay, okay. No need to pout,** " William chuckled, holding his hands up in defeat. " **Well, Captain Chloe, what's the verdict?** "

It was so surreal watching all this. Herself, Max and William smiling and joking. Like they used to. When her world was still bright and hopeful, not a void of false promises and wasted potential. It had been… shit, five years now since this day. Yet, it felt so… real, like it was happening right before her eyes. That was crazy; William had been dead for years and Max had long since fucked off to Seattle, not even the initial smatterings of half-hearted contact lingering; but…

Studying the picture, the young blonde attempted to keep a smirk off her face as she passed the photo back to her father. " **Hmm, I guess it passes.** "

" **Captain Chloe's order is final,** " Max affirmed giving a salute.

" **Well, I guess that settles it then**." The blond man smiled, returning to cooking pancakes.

A high-pitched ring echoed through the hallway. William halted his food making, handing the spatula to the young blonde while he answered the phone.

Panic rose in her body, stomach churning. A cold sweat began building up on paler than usual skin. She knew what came next. _'No… no, please. Not this. Not… anything but this._ '

Unfortunately, her pleas were ignored. As always. There was no stemming the flood of her memories.

" **Hey Max, can you grab those plates?** " Chloe asked, pointing out the plate stack as she poked the golden-brown pancake currently cooking. " **These bad boys are nearly done."**

" **Aye aye, captain** ," the brunette said cheerily as she grabbed the indicated plates.

" **Oh, hi honey. Oh, I didn't realize we needed groceries. Sure, I'll come pick you up."** Finishing up the conversation, William poked his head into the kitchen. " **Excuse me, ladies. I have to go rescue yonder Queen at the sav-mart. She doth have many bags of delicious grub for us to feast upon.** "

She willed her younger self to do something, say something to stop him from leaving. The second he left that door, his fate would be sealed. Of course, it already had been. Long ago. Didn't stop her from wanting to try and change… everything.

It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion… or a car crash. Unable to do anything other than brace yourself and hope the universe was kind.

She already knew it wouldn't be this time.

Chloe watched with a fond smile as her younger self scoffed. " **You are ridiculous.** "

" **You'll be grateful for that someday,"** he replied, approaching the table to search amongst the papers. " **Shit, where are my keys**?"

" **That's a dollar for the swear jar!"** she exclaimed mischievously, happy to have caught her dad out.

" **You mean your college fund,"** William called back before muttering to himself. " **-keys, please.** " He quickly located them hiding under his baseball cap on the coffee table. " **A-ha! You can't hide from me forever!** "

As William passed the kitchen he stopped, giving the girls a knowing smile. " **And no Chloe and Max wine tasting sessions...** "

" **Dad,** " the young blonde began to protest only to get interrupted.

 **"Don't blow it because tonight your mother promised to make her world-famous salmon surprise with chocolate cake for dessert."** He turned his attention to the shorter girl. " **Max, you'll be here too, right?** "

" **She's never leaving me,** " the blonde girl answered for her with a grin.

" **That makes all of us,** " he added as the front door creaked open.

That unintentional lie cut deep, opened old semi-healed wounds. Every time they started to heal, her mind dragged up the past or the present adding a new addition to the tapestry of scars.

 _'You promised you wouldn't leave me,_ ' the bluenette recalled, sorrow flooding her body. ' _You fucking promised, dad. Why did you say that?_ '

The next few moments blurred together, a jumble of strange colors and sounds. No matter how had the bluenette tried to focus, it was impossible to distinguish. Was it laughter or crying? Why could she never remember this part? Like something was blocking her memory.

A few moments later, the distortion cleared.

Both girls stood in the hallway, confounded. The young blonde shook it off first, grabbing the brunette's hand to yank her into the kitchen. " **C'mon, those pancakes are gonna get cold.** "

" **Okay.** " Max nodded, allowing herself to get pulled along. As they were plating up, she noticed her friend kept glancing up at her with a slight frown. " **Have I got something on my face?"**

" **No, just…"** the blonde shook her head, swallowing hard. " **You look like you've been crying."**

Reaching up to touch her still slightly damp, tear-streaked face, her eyebrows knitted together. " **Huh, that's weird… I don't recall. So do you, now you mention it**."

" **Nuh-uh, Chloe Price doesn't cry** ," the blonde shot back, turning away as she wiped her eyes.

Honestly, this confused her. ' _Why would we be crying?_ ' the bluenette thought to herself. _'It's not like we knew what was going to happen._ '

The scene around her changed, a swirling transition. It was later the same day as far as she could tell. Confirmed when the image before her finally gained clarity. She watched as her younger self and Max were drawing at the table, both giggling carefree and happy.

Little did they know it wouldn't last long…

" **So, you staying over tonight?** " she asked, sounding hopeful.

" **Of course!** " the brunette announced without hesitation, cheeks turning a faint shade of pink. " **Unless… you don't want me to**."

" **Duh, of** course **I want you to. Hell, I'd have you living here if I could** ," Chloe admitted confidently.

That made Max scoff. " **Yeah, cuz my mom and dad would LOVE that. They moan about me spending so much time over here already**."

" **I know my mom and dad wouldn't mind...** " Chloe was interrupted by a knock at the door. Sighing, she got down from the table and went to answer.

"Don't answer it!" the bluenette practically screamed, sitting bolt upright.

Her heart pounded in her ears, skin clammy. It took a few moments to realize where she was, her room. A gentle morning breeze filtered through the open window adorned with her faded American flag. Empty bottles, clothes and crumpled scraps of paper – mostly missing person posters – were strewn across the floor.

Rubbing her face, she glanced over at her alarm clock. It was almost mid-day. ' _Why can't I remember what happened? And why do I keep dreaming of her?_ '

Every day for the last five years, it had been the same dream. So frustrating. Part of her hated this limbo state, not knowing what was missing. The other part…

"Ugh, why am I doing this to myself? She left you, Chloe, so why even think about her?" she growled, getting to her feet.

Rubbing her face with her hands again, she found some clothes. Nothing special, a pair of tattered jeans a white skull shirt. Not bothering to brush her hair or freshen up, she grabbed her phone and sat down on the edge of her bed. Checking her Facebook feed, she sighed in disappointment at the lack of notifications.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed an old picture of herself flipping off the camera and a hazel-eyed blonde, blue feather earring dangling. Her heart plummeted in her chest, feeling the familiar sting of tears in her eyes.

She had none left to cry.

"What's happened to you, Rachel?" she muttered under her breath as she let old memories take her away to a faraway land. The past.

 _The soft click-clack of a train rang out as the long-haired blonde shifted onto the floor._ " **Let's do something fun.** "

S _itting on a wooden crate, her sixteen-year-old_ self smirked _._ "V-card's **been punched, Rachel. I'm sorry.** "

 _Hazel eyes widened, unexpectant._ " **Wow**."

" **Too far?** " _Chloe asked, seemingly worried that she had fucked up already_.

 _Taking a second to compose herself, Rachel shrugged._ " **Well, I don't know…** "

E _ager to pass over the half-joke, the aspiring punk cleared her throat._ " **Okay, something fun. I'm all ears.** "

 _Acting as if nothing had happened, Rachel continued her original point._ " **Two truths and a lie."**

 _After briefly explaining the rules, she made her three statements. Ambidextrous, born in New York and a Leo. Picking apart her claims, Chloe made a correct guess on New York. Then, it was her turn._

' _Two truths… and a lie_ …' the older bluenette version of herself pondered. ' _I… what did I even say back then_?'

She supposed she would find out soon enough.

" **I used to want to be a pirate when I grow up. I kind of still do,** " _her younger_ self admitted _, a little sheepish._

" **Arrrr,** " _the blonde growled, doing her best pirate impression._

 _That earned a smile before moving_ onto _the next truth._ " **I used to love country music when I was a kid. Now it makes me want to throw up. Literally.** "

" **That's… weird,** " _Rachel hesitantly replied, swinging her feet over the edge of the train carriage they had stowed away in._

 _Two truths had been told. Now, for the lie._

 _The bluenette watched her younger_ self go _to speak, suddenly faltering. Whatever she had been about to say was trapped in her throat. Her face crumpled slightly, clearly debating something. Rachel watched her, patient and curious._

" **I… I'm happy. Happy with the way my life has gone and is going. I'm not lonely, scared or depressed. My home doesn't feel like a prison. My dad, he didn't leave. My friend didn't fuck me over…** " _She exhaled shakily, closing her eyes as tears stung_. " **Everything is… perfect."**

' _I don't… remember saying that. Any of that. I… what's going on?_ ' the bluenette asked herself, memories mixing with emotions and unspoken thoughts.

 _For some time, they sat there in silence. Only the wind and metallic clicking for_ company _. Eventually, Rachel turned to her with a sad smile._ " **Nothing's perfect.** "

 _Everything faded into mist before reforming. Everything was black, faint echoey knocking and someone calling her name. It was Rachel. They were in the junkyard, more specifically Chloe found herself in an old beat up truck. She had fallen asleep._

 _The hazel eyed girl got_ in _the passenger's side, the pair discussing the events which had led to Chloe's expulsion from Blackwell and David's intention to move in permanently._

" **You know what we could both use now? Therapy** ," _the shorter girl stated softly._

 _That piqued the aspiring punk's interest._ " **Therapy?** "

 _Adopting a more cheerful tone, Rachel shuffled on the seat._ " **You start. Kick back and tell me what's bothering you.** "

 _Deciding to humor her, Chloe laid back with her legs across the modelesque blonde's lap, one hand behind her head_. " **Well, doc…** "

 _Her concerns came oozing out, from the man invading her home to the abrupt booting from school and the fire now ravaging Arcadia's forest._

 _As her younger_ self finished _up, a bunch of vague worries surfaced in the bluenette's mind. None of which she could pick out and hold down. One thing she was pretty sure of… they were unrelated to this memory. As hard as she tried, she just couldn't pinpoint it._

 _Things that… never happened?_

* * *

It felt like she had forgotten something important. Like, when you woke up from a dream you just couldn't remember. The feelings where there, but no context.

Pushing them aside for now, she headed downstairs. Obsessing over it never helped; it just made her feel more lost. Hungry, she grabbed a mug of coffee with plenty of milk and sugar alongside a bowl of cereal. Wolfing the latter and chugging the former, she dumped the used mug and bowl into the sink for later.

Patting down her pockets, she found her cigarettes and made a move towards the backyard. That was, until there was a knock at the front door. Groaning at the timing, she turned on her heel. When she was halfway across the hallway, another loud impatient thud demanded her attention.

"Sheesh, gimme a damn minute," she grumbled as she flung the door open. "What do you…?"

The sentence remained unfinished at the sight of her visitor. Well, visitors. A short blonde-haired girl with a blue feather earring. Slumped against her was a brunette, She did not look good, body weight entirely supported by the modelesque blonde.

 _'What the actual fuck is happening now?_ ' Stunned, Chloe stared at them. Words failed her, only able to squeak out a confused, "Rachel?"

The blonde smiled at her, as casual as anything. Not acting like she'd been missing for months on end with no contact. "Hey, Chloe. Long time, no see. I think I found something, uh… someone you lost." She nodded her head to the almost passed out girl, shifting her weight slightly.

It took a moment to realize just who this other girl was. When Chloe put two and two together, her heart stopped. "Max!"

* * *

 ***Drops mic and walks out***

 **Here we go**

 **Peace out**


	4. Chapter 4

****Kiss and wake up****

 **Sorry it's been a while folk's, Slowly trying to get back into the swing of things.**

 **Anyways here's the next one, Now where did I drop that mic?**

* * *

The long-haired blonde stood there, the brunette slumped against her. She watched Chloe's expression shift through a million different emotions, none of which stayed for longer than a moment. The cogs in her mind whirred, trying to comprehend. Feeling Max's weight more with each passing second, Rachel cleared her throat.

"So, are you gonna invite me in or what?" she asked, trying to sound light-hearted with limited success.

Those were the same words she used all those years ago. When the blue-haired punk first found her truck, already starting to fix it up so they could escape. A journey they had never managed. One they may never have made if fate had been allowed to toy with their lives. Unchallenged.

Chloe stood there, stunned into silence. The sight of Rachel alone was enough of a shock without the freckled brunette barely standing on her own two feet. What the fuck was she supposed to say or think? Two people who had been abruptly ejected from her life just… there. Close enough to touch.

Part of her wanted to rush them both, grab them and hold on never to let them go again. The other part wanted… no demanded answers. For the six months of silence from the blonde and the five years' worth of on-off half-hearted contact. Eventually, the rage won, snapping her out of her frozen state.

Fists clenching, a deep frown appeared on her brow. "Where the fuck have you been? Six months, Rachel. Six fucking months? Not even a single text. Do you know how worried I've been? What… what I thought happened to you…" Her voice faltered at the end, blue eyes stinging with tears.

She had tried so damn hard to find Rachel Amber. Even when everyone else gave up. Blackwell, the police, her fucking family… Chloe had refused to let it go. The blonde meant too much to her. Unlike everyone else, she actually cared. Arcadia was full of fake assholes.

Rachel let her vent, not saying a word. It hurt to see Chloe so angry and in pain… all because of her. How much anguish had she caused?

Shifting the unconscious girl resting against her, Rachel let out a soft sigh. "Chloe Elizabeth Price. Please don't ever change." Before the punk could tear into her again, she continued, "I know you want… deserve answers, but can we please not do it out here."

What she had to tell Chloe was insane. Unbelievable. They needed to sit down and talk it out where no-one else could hear.

Crossing her arms, the bluenette blocked the door frame. "Oh no, we do this right here, right now."

"Chloe…" the blonde called out softly, trying to make her see reason.

"NO!" she exclaimed, much louder than intended. "You don't get to waltz back into my life and dictate when I get fucking explanations."

Her body shook, a mix of anger, relief and fear. Just what the hell had Rachel been thinking? Where did she go? And why did she have Max Caulfield with her of all people?

Another voice entered the fray, weak yet audible. "Chloe."

The vulnerability in her childhood best friend's voice triggered an old memory. A much younger brunette bedridden with the flu.

* * *

 _Today had been a total drag._

 _Max hadn't come to school. The young blonde had gone round to her house before school, told by Vanessa Caulfield that her daughter was ill. When she tried to stay there, the older woman had shooed her away telling her not to miss school and that if she wanted to help, she could grab Max's work to catch up._

 _Chloe counted down the seconds till the bell, packing up with lightning speed as soon as she heard the high-pitched sound. Shoving her workbook_ in _her bag along with Max's work, she practically sprinted towards the Caulfield house. When she got there, she was a little out of breath._

 _Confidently, she knocked on the door. Hanging around for a moment, she had to stop herself from pushing past when it opened._

 _Ryan answered this time, only just in from work. "Ah, Chloe. Come in." He stepped aside, letting her inside. "I'm sure Max will be happy to see you."_

 _He moved to the kitchen, clattering around and returning with a tray. On it_ were _two bowls of steaming stew, some sizable hunks of bread and two glasses of orange juice._

 _"I'm sure you guys will be hungry. Nothing better for fighting colds than my ma's vegetable stew," he explained with a tired smile as he held the tray out. "Why don't you take it up for her?"_

 _"Sure." Eagerly, Chloe took the tray and headed upstairs to Max's room._

 _Bounding up, nearly spilling it, she gently opened the door to her friend's bedroom. It was dark, curtains shut. Softly closing the door, very unlike her usual barge and invade approach, she put the tray on the bedside table. Her freckled friend was asleep, looking very pale._

 _"Max," she called out, carefully giving her shoulder a poke._

 _The younger girl stirred, blue eyes bleary. "Ch-" She curled up into a mini coughing fit. "Chloe."_

 _"I'm here. And I brought food." She motioned towards the tray. "Oh, and work." Digging around in her bag, she pulled out the papers and put them on a nearby desk. "That part's not so fun."_

 _Helping her friend get comfortable and pulling up a chair for herself, Chloe handed out the food. They ate and chatted about their days, Max's mostly spent sleeping. When they had finished, the blonde moved the empty bowls over, put her bag on the chair and wedged herself in beside her friend._

 _"Chloe, you'll get it," Max protested weakly as she climbed in under the covers._

 _"Pfft, a simple cold can't defeat Chloe Price," the older girl stated confidently, pulling out a comic._

 _They had been reading it together, taking it in turns to get a copy with their pocket money. Chloe had yet to read it, waiting for Max. Normally, they both did silly voices. To her credit, the brunette tried and almost coughed up a lung as a reward for her hubris. As a result, Chloe took over and voiced the entire cast solo._

 _By the end, she realized Max had fallen asleep. Under different circumstances, she would poke the other girl until she woke._

 _This time, she snuggled up close and joined her sleeping friend. "Get better soon, Max."_

 _Despite her pride fuelled reassurances, Chloe came down with the cold over the next couple of days. But she didn't mind so much since Max was there to look after her._

 _She was the best medicine._

* * *

Her anger fizzled out almost instantly, all ammunition lost to a voice she had dreamed of hearing again for five long years. Escaping the hazy memories, she turned back to face the two girls. When she did, she found the brunette less than a foot away standing on her own two feet. Blue eyes were sunken, zombified.

Max staggered forward, almost losing her balance. The blonde was quick to her side, ready to offer support if needed. After an unsteady moment, she stabilized. With a slightly shaking hand, she reached up to touch the punk's cheek.

Instinctively, Chloe leaned into it feeling the warmth of her skin. Blue eyes closed, enveloped by a dreamy haze. If this was a dream, she didn't want it to end. Never. She was barely aware of the brunette standing on her tip toes, bringing her face much closer. Until it was too late. Blue eyes opened wide when she felt an unfamiliar yet familiar pair of warm lips press against hers, unmoving.

Her body froze up, refusing to obey even a single command. Her breath hitched, brain frantically trying to process what was happening.

'She's kissing me... Max is… kissing me.'

As if a switch had been flipped, a veil lifted. A powerful memory surged to the forefront of her mind, engulfing all her senses. The brunette and blonde in front of her faded along with the street and houses, replaced with a familiar sight. A dream that had haunted her for five years.

* * *

Chloe was trapped in her younger body, not just observing like before in her dreams, forced to watch her father leaving. For the last time. She was unable to do anything else other than observe.

" ** _Don't blow it because tonight your mother promised to make her world-famous salmon surprise with chocolate cake for dessert. Max, you'll be here to right_.**" The familiar words resounded in her mind, cutting deep.

" _ **She's never leaving me,**_ " she found herself confidently stating. A lie.

" ** _That makes all of us,_** " William replied with a warm smile.

' _ **Liar,**_ ' Chloe thought bitterly as she watched her father leave.

This was usually the point where everything went fuzzy and weird. Instead this time, she noticed the younger brunette leaning against the wall, tears running down her cheeks.

Her heart sank, wondering just what the hell was happening right now. " _ **Max, you are being so fucking strange, like you're never going to see us again.**_ "

" _ **Chloe, I'm so sorry,**_ " Max apologized through cascading tears. " _ **I tried to make things different for you... I... I did try... I'm sorry."**_

The young blonde was totally confused by this. " ** _I don't know exactly what you're talking about, but come on. You have made things different, like my whole life. You're my best friend. I've got you and a great family. What's to be sorry for? We'll be best friends forever. And when we grow up, we're taking over the world_**."

" _ **Listen, whatever happens, I want you to be strong. Even if you feel like I wasn't there for you... because I will never abandon you, Chloe. I'll always have your back. Always,**_ " Max insisted, firm and determined.

Confusion flooded her mind, overwhelming. " ** _Max, I still don't follow._** "

Clearly having difficulty explaining her state, Max tried to get her tears under control. " _ **I'm so, so sorry Chloe, but... it's William, today's the day... The day he dies**_."

"Is this some kind of joke?" The blonde frowned questioningly. This was way too dark for the Max she knew.

" _ **I wish it was... but there's more. I really wish it wasn't so but... I'm going away but I'll be back. I promise. You just have to wait for me and I know... I know it's not fair, but your gonna have to wait for me, and I'm afraid it's a really long... wait**_ ," the brunette sobbed, unable to hold the flood back any longer.

" ** _Max. You're starting to scare me,_** " she responded shakily, her own eyes beginning to well up. " ** _How long_**?"

The brunette didn't answer straight away, biting her lip as she tried to fight back the tears. Failing.

" _ **Max, HOW long?**_ " Chloe demanded, angrier than she intended.

" _ **Five years,**_ " Max choked out between sobs.

" _ **Wha... this isn't real. It can't be real,**_ " Chloe sobbed, taking a step backwards. She didn't want to believe this. Any of this.

" _ **It is Chloe,**_ " the brunette confirmed with watery blue eyes. " _ **I am so, so sorry, but you will know it's true when the time comes.**_ "

The young blonde shook her head slowly, trying so desperately to deny it. The way Max was looking at her, so earnest and intense, it was impossible to refuse the truth.

" _ **Remember this date. October 4th, 2013. Remember, and I will do everything in my power to make your future brighter. I swear it**_." The brunette sobbed, taking a step closer to Chloe. " _ **I will always be here, Chloe Price. In any timeline.**_ "

With that, she stretched up on her tiptoes planting a kiss on the stunned blonde's lips. Blue eyes widened, not sure how to react. Her heart raced, body frozen in place. What the hell was happening?

A few seconds later, both girls were stood looking at each other a little bewildered. The blonde quickly shaking it off as she grabbed Max's hand yanking her into the kitchen. " ** _Come on, the pancakes are gonna get cold._** "

Max nodded as she allowed herself to get pulled along. " ** _Okay._** "

* * *

Memory fading to white, Chloe gradually became aware of her surroundings once more. Max was slumped against the hazel-eyed blonde, looking thoroughly exhausted.

Stunned, the blue-haired punk tried to comprehend. Aka having a mini mental breakdown. 'What the fuck? How is that... did that actually happen?'

"Chloe… Chloe!" The familiar voice pulled her from her panic, aqua eyes vaguely landing on Rachel.

The bluenette blinked a few times giving her head a sharp shake, looking at the blonde in bewilderment. "Uuuh…"

"Chloe... we good?" she asked, trying to get Chloe to focus properly.

Still too stunned to respond, Chloe just stood motionless staring at the two girls as the recently unlocked memory played out again and again. ' _This isn't possible_.'

"CHLOE!" Rachel shouted, snapping the punk out of her trance.

"Uh, sorry, what were you…?" she faltered, brain feeling like it was about to explode from the illogical situation she'd found herself in.

"Are we good?" Rachel repeated firmly.

Honestly, Chloe didn't know how to answer that. "I… kinda? Maybe? No? Shit… I don't know."

"Well, can we come in? She's heavier than she looks." Rachel nodded towards the passed out girl, fully supporting her weight.

Putting her confusion aside, the punk focused on the here and now. "Yeah, sure. Here, lemme help."

Between them, they managed to get Max inside the house and up the stairs to Chloe's room. Carefully, they laid her out on the bed. The blue-haired girl stared at her old friend, wondering just what had happened in the past six months… no, five years.

Whatever it was, she was certain it would be a total mindfuck.

* * *

 **Until next time.**

 **Peace out**


	5. Chapter 5

**X Marks the Spot**

* * *

 **Ok I did a booboo, I posted this on AO3 like 2 weeks ago and completely forgot about posting it here, You have** **SummerStormWar to thank for it getting posted, their review made me ask why the questions were being asked.**

 **But here it is chapter 5**

 **Enjoy**

* * *

Still bewildered, Chloe stood in her room. Her eyes were transfixed on the brunette curled up in her bed. In her sleep, Max was clutching the pillow so tight, mumbling incoherently. The gentle melody of Santa Monica Dream echoed throughout the room, creating a relaxed aura. Glancing over at the stereo, Rachel smiled gently as hazel eyes settled on the unconscious brunette... a smile that gradually shifted to sadness.

"It helps her sleep. Sadly, it doesn't help much," she said softly. Turning to the taller girl, she grabbed her hand gently leading her out of the room. "Come on, I need a smoke."

Allowing herself to get pulled along, Chloe passed a final glance at the sleeping brunette on her bed as they left the room. As much as she wanted answers, it was difficult leaving Max like this alone. Even after everything, the years of radio silence. Maybe part of her was scared that if she turned her back for just a second, the brunette would disappear again. She'd realize all this was a dream.

Pushing aside the doubt, she followed Rachel downstairs and through the house. Chloe's mind reeled, the same event playing out in her head in stereo - two different versions. Before she could think about it more, they were in the backyard. Rachel stood just a few feet from her.

"So, you wanna tell... mhphhh-" Chloe was cut off as the blonde turned and crushed her lips against hers.

Blue eyes widened, not sure how to react. She hadn't seen Rachel in so long. So many emotions boiled underneath the surface. Rage, relief... lust. In that moment, she forgot the anger and betrayal. Instead, she gave in to the months of loneliness and succumbed to Rachel. Their lips locked firmly, tongues dancing. Honestly, Chloe was surprised by the intensity, but also the hint of tenderness there too... and a lot of passion. It blew her away, turned her mind to mush. She'd never shared a kiss like this with Rachel... or anyone, really.

Rachel grasped onto her tightly, reassuring herself that Chloe was actually there. It had been... too long since she saw her bluenette. God, how she'd missed her. With everything that had happened up until now, she might never have seen her again. Not without Max. That reality fueled her kiss, putting all the feeling she could into it. As much love as she could possibly muster.

Reluctantly, the blonde pulled back but kept close. She rested her head on Chloe's chest, murmuring. "Sorry... I just, really fucking missed you."

"I missed you too," Chloe whispered, the confusion and questions slowly returning. "Where the fuck have you been, Rachel?"

Breaking away, Rachel searched her pockets and took out a pack of cigarettes. She offered one to Chloe, fishing the old battered lighter out of her pocket. Lighting it up, she took a deep hit. As she did, she watched Rachel take a seat on the old childhood swing, the frame groaning in protest as the blonde got her own cigarette lit.

"Recognize it?" Rachel asked with an apologetic smile, wiggling the worn blue lighter in her fingers. "It's had a few refills since you last saw it."

"I'm not really bothered about an old lighter, Rachel." The hint of a smile tugging at the bluenette's lips. "Surprised it's still going, to be honest."

"Couldn't bring myself to throw it away... heh, Max even bought me a new Zippo one," she tapped her jacket pocket fondly, "but I always use this one. Guess it just made me feel closer to you."

"Since when have you and Max been all buddy buddy?" Chloe asked, the question more pointed that she intended, causing the blonde to recoil slightly.

Considering Max and Rachel weren't supposed to know each other - had both gone missing in her life at perhaps the worst time possible - she couldn't understand it. What the hell had they been up to? How did they meet? And why hadn't they gotten in touch sooner?

Rachel took a deep breath, preparing herself. "For that answer, I'm going to have to tell you a... hella crazy story."

"Oh, this should be good," Chloe mumbled dryly, eager for answers.

Glad for the chance to explain herself, the blonde began, "Before I do though there is something else I have to tell you, something you're not going to believe. Max is... special."

That was an understatement on so many levels, some of which she would keep to herself for now. Perhaps forever.

"Special?" Chloe repeated, feeling a sudden twang of jealousy.

Over the past three years, she had been incredibly protective of her relationship with Rachel. Anyone who threatened it even in the slightest incurred her wrath. Add Max into the mix - who, even after all this time, still laid claim to a place in her heart however much she tried to shake her - and it became a complicated mess.

Picking up on the shift, Rachel sighed. Maybe she should have considered her wording more carefully. "Don't be like that, Chloe."

"Like what?" the bluenette swiftly countered, trying to cover up the obvious envy. When it came to Rachel, she found it almost impossible to suppress how she felt.

"Jealous," Rachel stated, wanting to nip that in the bud. When Chloe Price got jealous, you could guarantee that something would be broken. Neither of them was great at expressing themselves in a calm way. Before the bluenette could even protest, she was cut off. "I can see it in your eyes, Chloe. Its... " Rachel paused as if debating something, "It's not like that."

Chloe wanted to trust her, more than anything, but it was hard when there were so many questions. "Then what is it like?"

Uncertain how to start, frustrating for someone who had been so good with words until this point, Rachel clumsily recited her thoughts aloud. "I've... only ever lied to you about one thing, Chloe... and I'm not proud of it. NOT something I intend on repeating. So, here goes."

That made Chloe frown, mind whirring. "Wait, lied to me onc-?"

Rachel didn't give her the chance to finish. That would come later. "Max is a time traveler."

Those words made her forget the question she just wanted to ask, stunning her. What the hell was Rachel on about? Was she super high or something? That had to be it. "Is that the best you've got? Time travel, really?"

Even for Rachel, this was too big a pile of bullshit to pull off. She was good, but not that good. It made Chloe angry, not getting straight answers. How could she trust someone who said shit like that out of the blue? Stuff that belonged in games and films, not real life.

Expecting the resistance - shit, if she hadn't seen it and so much more herself, she'd be the same - Rachel nodded earnestly. "How else do you explain what she did not ten minutes ago, Chloe?" There was no hint of playful teasing in her expression, deadly serious.

' _Remember this date. October 4th, 2013. Remember, and I will do everything in my power to make your future brighter. I swear it_.' The brunette's voice echoed as Chloe reached for her phone, checking the date. Words failed her as she checked the date: October 4th, 2013.

"Max calls it a time lock," Rachel revealed, trying to relieve some of the confusion. "She goes back in time and says something to someone. By concentrating on that moment, she can... not erase it, but move it out of focus. It's there, but you subconsciously ignore it, I guess. Physical contact helps her maintain the lock for longer periods of time. But..." her face shifted, worried, "it has a downside."

Chloe did not like the sound of that. "Downside?"

Seeming to fold in on herself, Rachel continued, "At first, we started practicing with just a day. Then a few days, a week, a month. Eventually, time would catch up with her. Our last attempt was three months worth... she was out cold for a whole day. Five years is much worse." Hazel eyes softened as she inhaled smoke, letting it seep between her lips. "Even with the gradually increasing recovery time, I doubt she'll gain consciousness until tomorrow, unless..."

"Unless?" Chloe prompted, not letting her get away with half-finished answers.

Swinging gently, Rachel swallowed back tears. This was much harder to talk about than anticipated. She thought she was ready for this, or maybe she was just fooling herself.

"Unless what, Rachel?" the punk insisted, trying to curb her frustration with limited success. "Please, tell me what's going on here. I'm... fucking freaking out, okay. I need to know what's happened these past few months."

"Chloe... Max has been through a lot. More than anyone ever should. Nightmare fuel. I've... not had an easy ride but she..." Wiping away the tears with her sleeve, she finished off her thought with a morbid sense of duty. "Just... if you hear her screaming, don't panic. I know what to do."

The punk froze up, wondering what could've possibly broken both Max and Rachel this much. Instinctively, she threw her half-smoked cigarette to the ground, joined the blonde on the seesaw of the swing set and took her hand for reassurance. Even if she was angry, seeing the blonde like this bypassed everything other than a desire to stop her from crying.

Rachel gave her hand a squeeze, feeling more secure already. "I... don't even know where to start."

"The beginning is usually a good place," Chloe replied, managing a weak level of lighthearted teasing.

Not reacting to the attempt at humor, Rachel sighed. "But whose beginning? Max's, I guess. October 7th, this coming Monday." Suddenly, she tensed up. "By the way, that meeting with Nathan is _so_ not happening."

"How did you...?" There was no way Rachel could know about that.

The blonde actually managed a slight smile, wistful. "Time traveler asleep in your bed."

Chloe didn't say anything, still not able to fully believe it. As much as it defied logic, she could tell that Rachel wasn't lying. Or at least, she believed what she was saying.

Noting her silence, Rachel took that as a cue to continue, "Monday is... was the day you... died." The last word was quiet, only just loud enough to make out.

Blue eyes shot open wide, mind blank as the words echoed. Dead. All she could manage was a stuttered "Wait, what... how...?" several moments later.

Wincing, Rachel gripped onto Chloe's hand tighter. "Nathan. He shot you. Max was there, hiding in the corner. Her power triggered. With it, she saved you."

Max had... saved her? Her heart lept, confusion flooding her. What the actual fuck was going on? "I... I'm going to die?"

Hazel eyes shifted from sadness to fierce and protective determination. "No. You won't. Not this time."

Rachel spent the next... however long summarizing the rest of Max's story. One she'd heard before. Such an insane and surreal set of events. All the while, Chloe listened silently, gradually working her way through the cigarette packet with Rachel's help. From the bathroom shooting to... Rachel's fate... all the way to the day of the tornado, Chloe convincing Max to let her go to save Arcadia Bay.

When she had finished, the blonde swung back and forth on the balls of her feet, waiting for a reaction.

Thoroughly blown away, Chloe tried to sort everything out in her head before responding. "Let's say I believe all of this..."

"You don't?" Rachel asked, understanding her reluctance. "You witnessed it first hand, Chloe." She motioned back to the house, where Max was sleeping.

As much as Chloe didn't want to admit it, there was no logical explanation she could come up with for... whatever she had seen earlier. "I don't know what that was but... time travel? Come on, you really believe that?"

Rachel nodded, no hint of hesitation. "I do, seen it first hand. I guess a more practical demonstration might-"

She didn't get the chance to finish that sentence, words cut off by a terrified scream. It echoed through the air, coming from inside the house. It was... bone-chilling, worse than any horror movie depiction.

"Shit..." The sound made Rachel spring to her feet, sending the swing seat flying behind her.

Not waiting to see if Chloe was following or not, she raced back into the house and shot upstairs. The bluenette took a second to act, hot on her heels. When they reached her bedroom door, Rachel turned to her. The only thing her eyes, face and body portrayed was earnest concern.

"Remember, let me handle it."

Chloe nodded, watching her open the door. Her heart sank as blue eyes fell on the crying curled up form on her bed. Max's body shook, tears staining her face. She didn't even seem to realize they were there, too engrossed in her breakdown. Rachel carefully approached her, gently wrapping her arms around the brunette and stroking her head, focusing on the left side.

"You're okay, Max. Wherever you were then, you aren't there now," she reassured soothingly.

Silently, Max pushing up the right sleeve of Rachel's jacket, exposing her pale forearm. Blue eyes settled on it, unwavering. She was clearly looking for something.

The blonde shook her head, showing the star tattoo on her left wrist. "How many times do I have to tell you its the other wrist? Six months of reminding doesn't seem to have helped, though." Her flicker of humor faded away. "I was hoping you'd get a little more sleep than that."

Not even bothering to defend her memory, Max's voice turned to a soft whisper, afraid to remind herself of her pain aloud. That way, she couldn't even try to pretend they were just... figments of her imagination. "Hard to when... he's always there."

Rachel knew what Max was thinking about. No need to elaborate. The Dark Room... and Jefferson. An icy shiver ran down her spine, brief flashes of her own living nightmare forcing its way to the foreground. After a few moments of gentle rocking for both their benefits, Rachel heard shuffling behind her. Then she remembered Chloe was here. Turning back, she beckoned the taller girl over. Max's watery blue eyes focused on her, not sure what to say.

Pulling up her desk chair, Chloe sat down beside the bed. For a long time, she simply stared at Max. The girl she had been so close to, then felt betrayed by for so many years. Part of her wanted to shout, explain to the brunette just how much she needed her in those five years of radio silence. She refrained, focusing on the here and now.

Instead, she leveled Max with as steady a stare as she could. "I'm still not convinced."

The brunette turned her attention to Rachel, enquiring. "How much did you tell her?"

"Everything that happened to you during that week," Rachel replied stiffly. "Up to when you went back and re-set everything."

"You think I'm making this up... understandable." With a sigh and slightly pink cheeks, Max caught Rachel eye. "I can't believe I have to resort to this again."

"Hey, plan B worked on me," the blonde pointed out. "Words alone were never going to be enough."

"What worked on you?" Chloe asked, more than a little nervous now.

Rachel turned to her with her trademark enigmatic, mischievous smirk. "You'll see."

When Chloe looked at Max again, she had shifted position slightly. Too quick to register the actual movement. She was still next to Rachel, visibly pinker than she had been moments ago.

Confused, the bluenette frowned. "Hit me whenever."

"Missing anything, Chloe?" the blonde asked, her demeanor reminiscent of the Rachel Amber Chloe had met three years ago.

"Uh... not that I..." Her answer was cut short as Max produced a familiar black bra from underneath the blanket. Set to Rachel's soft chuckle, she checked underneath her top to find her bra gone. "What. The. Actual. Fuck."

More hesitant this time, the brunette pulled out a pair of orange and black panties. "I... hasten to add these were your idea."

Completely stunned, Chloe looked between them. Max was about as red as she felt, Rachel appearing to be enjoying this little display. Of course she would.

"So, you believe us now?" Rachel's amusement rapidly disappeared when she noticed how pale Chloe had turned, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Chloe..."

"You... really died." Chloe didn't realize how much three words could hurt until that moment of realization.

Hearing Chloe say that truth was... so damn painful. "Yes, I did."

At Rachel's coaxing, the punk joined them on the bed. It took her a moment to trust her voice again, turning to Max. "And you... saved her. Me. You didn't... forget."

"I'd never forget about you, Chloe. Ever," Max stated firmly, no sign of hesitation.

Unable to hold back any longer, the punk launched herself at the two girls on the bed, wrapping her arms around each of them as she nuzzled the blonde's neck. "I thought... I feared the worst... and it actually happened. Every time I was... at the junkyard, you were... would have been right there."

The thought alone made her feel ill. Rachel had been the only person who mattered to her for a long time now. Losing her like that was too much to even imagine. Their safe haven... tainted by that motherfucker. In that moment, she felt so furious. If Jefferson was here right now, she would rip him to pieces. No, that wouldn't be anywhere near enough to pay for his crimes.

"Where is he? Where is that bastard?" There was no way in hell she was letting him get away with this.

Max and Rachel exchanged grim glances knowing exactly who she was talking about, the latter speaking with an uncharacteristic dark and murderous tone. "We'll deal with him, Chloe. For now, let's focus on getting you caught up."

Chloe swallowed her protests when she saw just how... scary Rachel looked in that moment. Both she and Max would want him to suffer for what he did, more than her. They probably had a plan of some kind. As much as she wanted to insist they take him down now, they clearly had more to explain. She got up and moved to her desk, grabbing a cigarette. She offered the box to Rachel, who shook her head.

"You really should quit those," Max muttered.

"Yes, mom," Chloe replied, not as playful as she had hoped. "How did you get back to this point? I'm guessing you didn't..." She turned to Rachel, feeling a twang at her heart as she thought about Max's attempt to save William Price. "What did you call it? The thing with the pictures."

"Photo jumping," Rachel confirmed, recalling the first grizzly retelling she'd heard of Max's disastrous adventure into the past.

Max pulled away from the blonde, averting her gaze. "It was about a year after you... died. I was on my way to visit you. Wasn't really paying attention. I... got hit by a car, I think." She paused, shrugging. "When I came to, I was at your funeral again. I thought it was a nightmare at first, something my mind wanted to torment me with. It... wasn't. When I figured that out, I... took a leap of faith, I guess you could call it."

Blue eyes went wide with realization. "Wait, you... jumped in front of another car?"

"Not quite." The brunette stopped for a few seconds. "I didn't want to potentially cause a huge accident that hurt a lot of people. Something lots of people would see and be traumatized by, you know. Besides, a car could be pretty hit and miss, could easily end up paralyzed as..." She didn't finish that thought, mind briefly drifting back to the alternate timeline. "So, I went to the Junkyard."

"Why?" As she said that, the cogs in her mind began whirring. "The train."

"The train," Rachel repeated, confirming her deduction.

Shuddering at the thought of almost losing Chloe to a train, Max pressed ahead. "Luckily, I didn't... feel it. I was so thankful when I came to in my room at Seattle. But..." Max's eyes darted to the hazel-eyed blonde. "I was still too late to save you."

"Wait, you... did it three times?" Rachel asked incredulously. She hadn't known that.

Max shrugged, trying to pass it off as nothing. "Well, four actually. It's hard to get the timing right when you don't have much control. I had to do it, though. You meant so much to Chloe, I saw it. If I could change it and didn't, what kind of person would that make me?"

Still a little shocked by the new revelation, Rachel managed a soft smile. "Well, whatever the reason, I'm grateful. Looks like I now owe two girls my life, huh."

Chloe winced, recalling the time she had saved the blonde. Pushing the panic from her mind, she tried to make light of the situation. "Guess we need to form a queue... there is one, well several things, I want to ask. This one is important, though. What about the st-?" Right before her eyes, Max just disappeared. Blinking several times, she checked the room to find it empty. "What...? Where?"

"Very subtle." Rachel sighed, focusing on Chloe. "Let me guess, you were about to ask about the storm, right?" Not waiting for an answer, she continued, "She avoids pretty much anything to do with the storm. Dodging, rewinding, redirecting. Unfortunately, she's getting pretty good at it." Sighing, she stepped out of the room and called downstairs. "Max. You down there?"

No answer.

"Max..."

A reluctant reply carried upstairs. "Y-yeah."

Shaking her head, Rachel offered Chloe a 'see, told you so' look before pointing downstairs. The pair headed to the kitchen, finding Max at the sink dowing a glass of water.

She cleared her throat, rubbing the back of her neck. "Sorry about that. First run didn't go quite as planned. David's going to be here in three minutes. Chloe, get your... uh... underwear back on and please just... play nice and let me do the talking."

That concept was too impossible for Chloe to even entertain. "Be nice to Step-Douche... No fucking way."

"Chloe... please," Max practically begged.

Rachel joined in to back her up. "Come on, once won't hurt."

"Ugh, fine," Chloe groaned making her way back upstairs. The whole way up, she muttered every single insult and nickname she had for him to get it all out before she had to play nice.

As the bluenette left, Rachel drew focus to the near future. "So, what's the plan?"

"Well, I'm just going to talk to him. It might take a few rewinds to get right, but we need him," Max answered, hoping that David would see reason eventually. "I need you to keep Chloe calm somehow. Otherwise... the conversation gets derailed."

"Not surprising." Rachel folded in on herself a little, visibly anxious. "David doesn't like me much, so it'd probably be better if I wasn't around. Actually, it might be better if it's just you alone talking to him."

"No!" Max exclaimed louder than intended. It surprised both of them. "I... need you. Both of you."

Not pushing it, the blonde accepted her plan. "You really aren't taking your eye off me, huh."

"Off either of you," the time traveler corrected. "Not until this is over."

As if on cue, Chloe returned to the kitchen. "Right, I'm back for the worst moment of my life."

Max knew that wasn't true, they all did, but it helped ease the tension. An anxious minute passed before they heard a car pull into the drive. All of them sat at the dining table, hearing the clink of keys and a creak. Then the door shutting, footsteps shuffling across the carpet. David came into view a moment later, confused by the meeting.

"Afternoon, Mr. Madsen," Max greeted respectfully. Rachel stayed quiet, forcing a friendly smile. Chloe... refused to look at him. If she did, she might blow a fuse.

David glanced at them, eyes narrowing before settling on his step-daughter. "I don't like strangers in my home, Chloe." He looked at Rachel disapprovingly. "Or known troublemakers."

"Ouch," Rachel muttered under her breath.

"I might be a stranger to you, sir, but I've known the Price family for a long time," Max replied, keeping her voice as sass free as possible. "I've only recently come back to Arcadia, though."

Managing a disapproving grunt, he shifted attention to Rachel. "And you. Where have you been?"

"Oh, missed me?" With no change in facial expression, she moved swiftly on. "I had an accident. Been in hospital for a while. I would've called but... comas tend to prevent movement. Last thing I remember was heading to see Chloe, then I woke up in Portland County General."

"Is that so?" he muttered, more to himself than any of them. There was an obvious flicker of distrust in his eyes.

To distract him, Max spoke up. "Mr. Madsen, I need to tell you something. You're the only person who can help."

He crossed his arms, intense. "What trouble are you in?"

"We're not, but someone else will be," the brunette tensed up. "Please."

His jaw tightened, considering it. Eventually, he relaxed just a fraction. "Tell me."

Over the first hurdle, she pressed ahead. "Tonight's Vortex Club party. There's someone you need to keep an eye on. Kate Marsh."

David's eyes widened a fraction. "The church girl? She doesn't seem like the party type."

"She's not," Max confirmed. "Regardless, she'll be there. Someone will try to take advantage of her. You can stop them."

"Who is it? And how do you know?" David pressed, as brash as ever.

"I... can't say... and I heard something about planning on getting her drunk and videoing it," Max replied. Explaining everything would take too long. If she said the wrong thing, something she shouldn't know with no explanation, he'd be suspicious of her and not trust anything she said.

He continued to stare her down. "Are you scared of this person? Is that why you can't tell me?"

"Something like that." It was easier to let him assume. "If you're there and keep an eye on Kate, It hopefully won't get out of hand. Really, you are the only person who can save her. If you don't... something really bad may happen. I think you care about Blackwell students, otherwise you wouldn't be listening to me like this. If you really care like I think you do, be there."

Their eyes met, his checking for any sign of weakness. Searching for some indication that she was trying to trick him. Honestly, Max did feel uncomfortable but endured it.

"Well, you're clearly hiding something," he eventually concluded. "But... you don't seem to be lying. I can tell. I don't know what you would have to gain from lying about this. Unless it's a distraction, but... I can't take that risk." Checking his watch, he sighed. "So much for a relaxing evening. Chloe, tell your mother I'll be back late."

With that, he headed towards the door. A few moments later, the sound of a car echoed through the street.

Now David was out of the picture, Rachel let out a long sigh. "That's the most civil conversation I've seen with David in... well, forever."

Shoulders slumping as the bravado wore off, Max leaned back in her chair. "Good, it's hard to tell with all the rewinding. You really didn't want to play nice, Chloe."

"Hey, I was behaving," she protested.

"That time, yes. The others... you nearly started a fight three times," the brunette revealed.

"Sounds like the Chloe Price I know," Rachel chuckled softly.

"Hey!" Chloe exclaimed, mildly offended. "If David wasn't such a douche, I wouldn't have to keep putting him in his place."

"Right, sure." Rachel approached Max, wrapping her in a hug and gently running her fingers through brown hair. "You did a great job."

It had taken Max a long time to get used to the blonde's touchy-feely behavior. Recently, she'd ramped it up a notch. Perhaps her anxieties about Chloe inspiring her to cling onto something certain. Someone who already knew her secrets. Someone who'd already been angry over them. Someone who had eventually accepted her, flaws and all.

Chloe cleared her throat. "So, what happens next?"

Max pulled away from Rachel, facing the bluenette. "So long as David gets to Kate in time, not much."

Judging by the general mood, she was certain there was at least one thing Rachel had yet to tell Chloe. Something that would definitely break her. She'd seen it once before. While she didn't want to cause her friend any more pain, keeping secrets only lead to more pain in the end. "Rachel..."

As if she knew what Max was going to say next, Rachel diverted attention away from herself in one last cowardly attempt to dodge it. She hated herself for stalling, but this was... hard. She got up, going to grab a drink. "Chloe, didn't you have a question for Max before she disappeared?"

"Oh... er, yeah."

Before Chloe could ask it, Max interrupted in a pointed tone. "You haven't told her yet."

"Told me what?" the punk pressed, blue eyes zeroing in on Rachel.

Letting out a deep sigh, she closed the fridge door and turned to face Chloe. "Chloe. There's... something I need to tell you. It's not easy and... you might hate me after you hear this. You'd have every right to, honestly. I hate myself for it. But... you deserve to hear it. I don't want to keep secrets from you. Not like... well, my dad. I don't want to be like him." She shuffled uncomfortably at the comparison. "Not anymore."

Chloe didn't say a word, waiting. Her heart raced, fear and panic rising. What did Rachel have to tell her?

"I..." she glanced over at Max, sighing, "made a mistake. A big one. Something I regret every single day. I... fuck, I cheated on you, Chloe. I'm... really sorry."

It was difficult to get the words out, ones which had been running through her mind for months. All her lies, accumulating. Her heart felt heavy, her choices weighing her down. Admitting it felt... well, a little better if she was honest. Some of the burden relieved. For that, she felt selfish.

The bluenette didn't speak for a while, the confession hitting her like a sledgehammer. She... surely hadn't heard that right. No, she couldn't have. Rachel would never... "No. Don't... don't lie to me. You... this isn't funny, okay."

"I'm not lying," the blonde muttered, really wishing she was.

Turning pale, Chloe managed a strained. "Who? Was it...?"

Her gaze shifted to Max, the most obvious candidate at this point. There had been a weird vibe between them both, something Chloe had picked up on pretty early on. Her fists balled up, trying to keep her cool.

Max blushed at the insinuation, shifting uncomfortably. Partly because... she felt a little disappointed it wasn't with her. Just for a split second. That made her feel very guilty, knowing just how much Rachel meant to Chloe. Over the past six months, she had seen a different side of Rachel to the rumors and cold hard facts they'd uncovered during their investigation. Rachel was just another lost girl who didn't really know what she wanted.

"N-no... it's not with me. I swear," she quickly added when she was able to.

"It wasn't Max," Rachel confirmed. "Actually, that might be easier to forgive than... the truth. In some ways. Not in others, I guess."

"Rachel..." Chloe voice wavered, somewhere in between anger and tears.

This was something she never wanted to see. Chloe had suffered enough without this. She had trusted Rachel... maybe that was what made it easier to hide. The bluenette was so desperate to keep her idealized Rachel alive, the one person who hadn't fucked her over. Which made this confession all the more difficult. By admitting her mistakes, she was crushing the bluenette's world. Proving her original view of the world right.

That everybody would fuck her over eventually.

With no easy way to say this, the blonde just came out with it. "It was Frank. I... slept with Frank."

* * *

 **Again sorry it's late.**

 **Until next time, peace out**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Remorse and Repercussion**

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 **Hey guys'gals**

 **boy oh boy has it been a while, but we, myself and NYCP have not been idle.**

 **From now on until the end of this fic, you will be getting 1 chapter a week, either on a Saturday or Sunday (Depending on where you live) until this story is complete. (All chapters are either complete or in their final drafts, so this fic is essentially finished.**

 **Last time on Eye of the storm**

 **After being missing for 6 months, Rachel Amber turns up on Chloe Prices doorstep with her 5 year MIA friend Maxine Caulfield with the story of her own murder and a bigger shock that she has betrayed her trust. , Will Chloe be able to move on from this, and what has Rachel and Max been upto for the last 6 months.**

 **Enjoy**

* * *

SLAP!

Stinging pain shot through the blonde's cheek. She didn't even flinch, Chloe's reaction expected. What Rachel hadn't accounted for was the look in her eyes. Not anger or hatred… betrayal. That stung a lot more than her cheek ever could.

"How… could you?" Chloe managed, her voice strained.

"Chloe. It was a mistake." Each word she spoke felt like it was choking her. Invisible hands wrapping around her throat, denying her air.

"No," the punk all but growled. "A mistake is delivering a letter to the wrong address or spilling wine on a carpet. This…" Her whole body shook as she passed a fleeting glance in Max's direction. "How could you? Do you really think so little of me?"

Winded by each and every syllable, Rachel shook her head. "No."

"Chloe," Max interrupted softly as she reached out. "Let her explain."

"What the fuck is there to explain?!" she snapped, batting the hand away not taking her blue eyes off the tearful blonde. "She betrayed me. Just like everyone else."

That realization hurt. More than anything. She had trusted Rachel, would have followed her to the ends of the earth. And now…

"Chloe, it's not…" Rachel paused, looking for the right words. "It wasn't like that."

The bluenette scoffed loudly. "Oh really? What was it like then?"

Her heart ached so much. Rachel meant so fucking much to her. They had been through hell and back together. From their chance meeting at an illegal Firewalk concert, them ditching class, the play… their first kiss… all the bullshit with her father, Sera and Damon.

Chloe had been there every single step of the way, offering comfort and support. She'd been there in the aftermath, helped build Rachel back up as much as the blonde had helped her. They had been inseparable. The only reason to keep on pushing through the shit life continued to throw at them.

It had never been easy, but good things never were. Or so she had come to believe…

"You know what?" she cut in before Rachel had the chance to tell her side. "I don't care. You can shove your excuses. I'm done." With that, she turned on her heel and went to leave.

"Wait!" Panic flooding through her system, Rachel grasped for Chloe's wrist. She caught it, stopping the punk from storming out.

Blue eyes met hazel, filled with fire. "Get. The. Fuck. Off. Me."

It wasn't the rage that stunned Rachel. No, the pain behind that smokescreen was what broke her heart into a million pieces. Pain she had caused because of her stupidity.

This was all her fault.

Her arm went limp, hanging down by her side as her knees gave way. As she collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down her cheeks, Chloe strode out. She didn't look back. Not once.

Max was conflicted. As much as she wanted to go after Chloe, she needed time to cool down. Besides, Rachel needed her right now. After everything that had happened, support was crucial. Sighing softly, the brunette crouched down, helping Rachel to her feet and guiding her over to the couch. The other girl let her, almost in a trance.

Once sat down, the young time traveler grabbed some tissues from the side and offered them. When the older girl did nothing, her heart sank. She really had given up hope. An empty and hollow husk of Rachel Amber.

Sitting beside her, Max gently moved her head and began wiping away the tears. It reminded her of the alternate timeline, removing grains of sand from Chloe's eyes. Yet another shitty timeline she had created. For now, she pushed that thought out of her mind. This time would be different.

"Max…" The broken word felt so wrong leaving Rachel's lips.

Expression softening, Max moved her hand away. "I'm here."

Sniffling, the blonde sighed heavily and managed to meet her gaze. She had been scared about what she would find. Max cared about Chloe a lot, that much was obvious. "What do I do?"

That was a difficult question. She pondered it for a moment before replying. "The way I see it, you have two options. One, you give Chloe some time to process this and then speak to her. Or two…" she paused, feeling compelled to at least offer another way. "I could always rewind. We can figure out a way to limit the damage."

As tempting as the second option was, really fucking tempting, Rachel somberly shook her head. "No. There's no easy way to say it and…" Her face crumpled up, recalling the look of intense betrayal. "and if she does forgive me...I want it as a reminder to NEVER hurt her again, ever"

Understanding, Max nodded. "Okay."

She was glad it turned out that way. One thing she had learned from all this: her power should never be used to avoid consequences. Putting her arms around Rachel, she hugged her until the tears ran dry. The blonde buried her face in Max's shoulder, comforted. She felt guilty, knowing Chloe was the one most hurt from all this.

Better to get it out now. Then, she could face Chloe without feeling sorry for herself.

With no tears left to cry, Rachel gently pulled away from Max. Her eyes felt puffy, heart reduced to a dull ache. The brunette glanced out of the window, then back at her. "You should go find Chloe now."

Neither of them wanted Chloe to do something stupid or get herself in trouble. She usually let her emotions lead her.

"What about you?" Rachel asked weakly.

Max managed a smile, grateful that even now the blonde thought of her. "I'll be okay. Joyce will be home soon, so I'll be well taken care of. You know what she's like." Sadness flickered in her blue eyes. "Besides, Chloe needs you more than me right now."

"You're right as always, Max." Taking a deep breath, Rachel got to her feet.

The brunette managed a self-depreciative laugh. "There is no right or wrong, Rachel. Just…" Her expression shifted, much darker now, "what you choose and how you deal with the consequences."

She knew that better than anyone by now.

"Time to go face those consequences then," Rachel whispered, giving Max one final hug. "Thank you for..." she hesitated. By this point, she owed the other girl so much. Too much. "…everything."

"My pleasure," Max replied softly, letting her go. "Now it's your turn to change things."

Not sure if she was ready but with little choice, Rachel inhaled and exhaled deeply before leaving the room. Now was the time to fix her mistakes.

Well… try to.

It took her a while to get to American Rust. Not much had changed. The same old rusted maze, just with higher walls. Shattered glass and torn fabric littered the ground. Sun glinted off metal, blinding. A familiar yellow truck was sloppily parked up near the entrance.

Rachel walked past it, heading to the gray brick building by the train tracks. As she proceeded through the junkyard, memories materialized. The day she and Chloe came here after catching her dad with Sera up by the park.

If only she knew then what she knew now…

All that mattered now was Chloe. Rachel had no idea how this would go. The bluenette would be upset and angry still, well within her right. Honestly, she was probably more betrayed by the sudden disappearance act than Frank. All Rachel could do now was tell the truth and accept the consequences. She just hoped the price wasn't too high for her fuck-ups.

When she reached the doorway, she cautiously stuck her head inside. Everything was where it had been left before she went missing, with the exception of more trash. It almost felt like some kind of shrine or museum.

Chloe was there, sat on the makeshift bench smoking. Her eyes were red from crying. When she heard footsteps by the doorway, blue eyes zeroed in. The punk didn't know how to feel or react, staying silent.

Uncomfortable. Crushing. Lonely.

When she couldn't take it anymore, Chloe inhaled smoke and let it billow above her. A semi-transparent cloud.

"I don't know why I even came here. Well, I do. It's where I come to think and… to feel close to you. After you disappeared. It was the only place I felt safe. Loved." That last word got caught in her throat, chocked. "Why? Why didn't you tell me you were okay? Do you know how fucking worried I was? I thought you were…"

 _Dead_. Chloe refused to say it.

Rachel winced. She could have handled any other accusation; called a cheating, manipulative bitch; hated and told to fuck off… anything but this. Chloe cared so much … and she had just thrown it back in her face. There were reasons. None that made it right.

Sitting down on one of the old car seats Rachel fiddled with her fingers, unable to look the punk in the eye out of guilt.

"The night I… disappeared, I was coming to tell you..." she paused, letting out a dry chuckle, "...to say I was scared shitless is an understatement. I was willing to do anything to make it up to you, whatever you asked. Still will"

She sighed. Re-living that night was right up there with things she'd never want to think about again but for Chloe, she would. For her, she would do anything.

"Anything?" Chloe asked, a slight grin appearing on her lips as she wiped a tear off her cheek with the palm of her hand.

"I'll let you think about it," Rachel chuckled dryly. Her composure changed as she brought her knees up to her chin. "Obviously, I never made it to you. Nathan… I'm pretty sure he spiked my drink at the Vortex Party."

Chloe gritted her teeth at the thought, the urge to beat the shit out of Nathan and everyone who had hurt Rachel rising.

"I remember feeling a sharp pinch on my neck, and then… the next thing I knew, I was in that cursed bunker with Nathan babbling like a madman. The worst part? Some of what he was saying was true - hiding behind masks, using people - then he mentioned you."

As she finished, Chloe saw that look in her hazel eyes. The very same she'd given Damon three years ago. Murderous intent.

"He's lucky I was tied up or I might have been burying him… obviously, it didn't turn out that way. I remember suffocating. I was going to die and I knew it, but all I could think about was you," Rachel paused pulling up the sleeve on her left arm, gently rubbing her thumb over the star tattoo that embroidered her skin. "Do you know why I got this?"

"It was a promise… to run away together." Chloe could remember it like it was yesterday. Simpler times.

"Partly. It was a promise, of myself to you. Always and forever… mushy stuff, I know." When Chloe didn't say anything, stunned into silence, Rachel continued, "I don't just get a tattoo because any person asks… for me, it means more."

"More?"

"Shit, you're really gonna make me say it? Like a ring, you know."

"Oh... " Chloe gasped, reality slowly catching up with her.

Rachel smiled weakly. "I wished for a miracle, wished that I could change things, do right by you… and my father. There must have been a shooting star right about then, because a miracle is what I got, right when I needed it… or should I say, needed her the most."

"You mean Max."

"Max." Rachel nodded and let out a sigh.

Shifting herself next to the blonde, Chloe put a comforting arm around her. "In your own time."

* * *

And here we go, see you next week XD


	7. Chapter 7

**Sins of the Father**

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 **As promised here's the next one.**

 **Enjoy**

* * *

 _There's a sound you've been living with every day of your life, that you've learned not to hear. From the moment you're born, it's always there constant and steady and never noticed, at least most of the time, until the day you die. That sound…_

 _...is your heartbeat_.

* * *

It was cold, no, freezing. Her skin felt like ice, and an eerie quite like something was missing but was unable to put her finger on it. A vague sense of movement, the sensation fading moments later. Pressure built up in her chest, air being forced into her lungs, Muffled voices, warmth filling her chest then disappearing. Repeated, over and over.

Was this death? A perpetual limbo state. Honestly, she'd prefer not to feel anything. Rather than be constantly taunted like this.

The pressure was stronger this time, accompanied by a distant plea. "Come on…"

An angel?

"Don't make me go back again. Please." The same unfamiliar voice, so desperate yet encouraging. It filled her with ease, kept the cold at bay. Another plea "Not again, Rachel…" followed by another firm pressure on her chest, more air forced into her lungs.

The emptiness she once felt in her chest filled with heat and a sharp shooting pain. A new sound thumped in her ears, one she recognized instantly, her heartbeat. She gasped, coughing and spluttering. Hands carefully rolled her onto her side, her lungs screaming as they took in precious oxygen. Pins and needles consumed her, sensations slowly coming back.

When she opened her eyes, her vision was blurred by dirt and grit. Blinking rapidly, a dimly lit area came into view. Small mounds of dirt sat nearby, hastily dug to make a shallow hole. Even from here, she could see the bottom. Not deep. A shiver ran down her spine, realization paralyzing her.

Her grave. She had been buried alive.

A deep sigh of relief drew her attention to another person, As she felt herself get propped up. "For a moment there, I thought I had to go back again. Here, drink this. It's water."

Something pressed against her lips, cool liquid slowly poured down her dry throat. Unable to do much else, she drank the water. It helped a little. Slowly, she felt her senses sharpen and her strength returning. Nowhere near enough to move but a million times better than before.

"Better?" the voice asked calmly, although Rachel was aware enough to hear the slight quiver.

"Y-yeah…" she croaked, taking another offered sip.

"Welcome to death, Rachel. At least, for now," her savior stated, no malice or hate.

"What…?" She was too confused to really understand or form a coherent sentence. Fear threatened to eat her up whole as faint memories trickled to the forefront of her mind. "Nathan… where…? And..."

"You're safe," the voice replied. "He isn't here. They aren't here."

"They…" Rachel rasped, trying and failing to speak.

"You need to rest." While gentle, this was a demand. "I have a few things to sort out, then we have to go. We have a lot of catching up to do… at least this time we have time."

Carefully propping her up against a nearby car, the other person walked over to the hole and began filling it up again. The sight made her stomach churn, glancing away. Instead, she focused on her savior. A girl, about her age, brown hair, muddy blue jeans and gray hoodie.

The second girl to save her life.

Her teeth gritted at the thought of Damon, too focused on it to realize the brunette had finished her task.

"Can you stand?" she asked, holding out a dirt covered hand.

Rachel took it, shakily getting to her feet. She almost fell over, the other girl holding her steady. Gradually, they made it across the junkyard. Several times she almost fell to the floor, a zombie staggering around in a drunken stupor. That was what it felt like.

Managing to tear her eyes off her would be grave again, Rachel let the other girl guide her to the blue saloon nearby.

"It might look old but the heating still works. A bit too well sometimes," the brunette said as she opened the passenger side door for her.

Once in the car, Rachel watched as she got in the driver's side and started the engine.

"Chloe…" she rasped clutching her throat, it was still so dry.

The brunette glanced at her, then leaned over opening the glove box, pulling out another bottle of water and handing it over. "Here, I figured you'd be a little thirsty… That shit really gives you a dry mouth," she paused, not meeting Rachel's gaze, "and it can leave you feeling more than a little shit. Get some rest."

Taking the bottle, Rachel popped the cap, downing half in one go. "I need… I need to see Chloe."

"You can't," she replied sadly, hands gripping the steering wheel tight. "Neither of us can. At least, not yet."

With that, she put the car in gear, leaving the junkyard and turned onto the road leading away from Arcadia bay.

"What? Why…?" Rachel paused, panic rising as they passed the worn leaving sign. "Where are you taking me?"

"Somewhere safe." The shadow of the night made it hard to see the mystery girl's face clearly. It looked like she was about to say something, then decided against it. "Chloe is fine. You will be too this time, so long as you stay missing. I'll tell you everything tomorrow."

"Missing..." The word left Rachel breathless.

The girl visibly winced. "Better than the alternative. Been there, done that… would not recommend."

"You talk… really weird." Rachel let out a groan, holding her head. Damn, it hurt.

"Just sleep, Rachel. Fair warning, you will have a hella bad headache tomorrow." She glanced over, almost sounding playful. "I'll trade you for mine, though."

Rachel let out a weak chuckle. "I've only ever heard one other person use hella."

"Chloe," the brunette smiled weakly. "As I said, a lot of catching up… for now, sleep."

Struggling to keep her eyes open, almost getting blind by oncoming headlights, Rachel slouched back in her seat. Her dreams were hijacked by flashing lights, muttered voices and the briefly felt cold touch of death.

"Anyway, I'm done talking. And don't worry, come morning you won't remember a thing," a familiar haunting voice echoed.

Clang. Fear flooded her body. Clang. She tried to lash out, anything to get away. Clang. Not enough. Once again, she felt a sharp sting in her neck, the world slowly fading away.

"Goodnight, Rachel."

Rachel Gasped as she sat bolt right, clutching her neck as though the sting of the needle was recent, Blinking a few times at the bright sunlight flooding in through cream curtains. Breathing a small sigh of relief at waking up anywhere but back there, she took a moment to survey her unfamiliar surroundings. A large, rather comfy double bed with white linen. A dark wooden dresser with a large mirror was on the opposite wall. The carpet was a warm dark checker pattern, the room finished with an off white paint. Two doors lead off from the room, one ajar revealing a large bathroom with a tub and shower. The other door was shut.

She quickly summarized she was in a hotel room.

Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, she raised an eyebrow upon noticing she was in her underwear. Her obvious question was quickly answered as she spotted her clothes from the previous day smothered in dirt. Getting out of the bed, she noticed her pillow covered in the same grime her clothes were, as was the bedding.

'I guess that girl undressed me… not that I remember. Not sure if I should be worried or feel slightly cheated there… cheat.' The last word resounded in her head. An ugly reminder.

"Chloe… I'm sorry," she breathed, wiping a tear off her cheek smearing the dirt on her face, making it even worse. "At least you're alive. You can still fix this. Just gotta be a big girl and tell her and then…" she paused, collapsing back onto the bed at sudden realization of what could be worse than the punks anger, "and then watch her… break."

She sobbed quietly, covering her face with her hands. Chloe feeling betrayed was worse than having her just be angry, far worse.

Shaking her head, she got to her feet. 'Focus, Rachel. One thing at a time. You were almost murdered yesterday...' the thought left a sour taste in her mouth, 'but you weren't. You were saved. Question uno, by who?'

With that thought she headed to the bathroom, stopping by the mirror to asses the damage.

"Well, don't you look like shit."

Her hair was matted and discolored a dark brown. Mud plastered her face and shoulders, a few clean streaks running down her cheeks where she had been crying, as well as a major case of panda eyes.

'Not feeling the new look. Hmm, shower or bath?' she pondered, looking between the large tub and the corner shower.

Settling on a shower, so she could get some answers sooner, she finished stripping down and stepped into the steaming jet. As the hot water beat down on her shoulders, she let out a content sigh and tried to recall the conversation with her savior.

'This time… she used that more than once. I'm certain… but I've not seen her before, I don't think I have anyway.'

Getting out of the shower, she grabbed a towel off the heated towel rail and wrapped it around her. It felt soft, like really soft.

'If I am dead and this is the afterlife, heh, I guess I can't complain too much.'

Toweling herself down as she went back into the bedroom, she spotted a small suitcase at the foot of the bed. Opening it, she found it stuffed with clothes. Whoever packed this was in a hurry.

Checking a few items, she quickly realized that all the clothes were her size. Not exactly her style, but they were clean. Unable to find a bra that would fit her, she opted to wear the one from the night before. Luckily, it didn't appear to have any mud on it. She plucked out a pair of black jeans and a white T-shirt with a Hawtdog Man on the front, managing a smile as slipped it on and checked herself out in the mirror.

'I'm sure I've seen Chloe wearing something similar.'

Once she was done drying her hair, she strode over to the door. Stopping dead as she reached for the handle.

"What the hell is she doing here?" a familiar male voice demanded.

"Dad," Rachel breathed.

"I have as much right to be here as you do. She's my daughter too," a woman's voice responded defensively.

"Mom..."

"She's here because I invited her," the brunette's voice from the previous night almost growled, "And if you don't like it, you know I can just uninvite you. We can do this without you. It would, however, be easier with you onboard."

She heard James grumble, "The only reason I am here is to take my daughter home. You can't expect me to believe…"

"Last text sent, three minutes ago to your wife Rose, lying I might add, well not being completely truthful at least, telling her you're on a work-related trip." The brunette's voice cut off as a text alert came through on a phone. "She's replied, wants to know if your home for dinner tonight, or should she save the casserole for tomorrow," she countered sounding tired, or at least fed up.

A moment of silence passed before James uttered the word impossible.

"What other proof do you need, James?" Sera questioned.

"You're not telling me you believe she can… that she can..." James spluttered in disbelief.

"I have no reason to doubt her. Our DAUGHTER would be dead if it wasn't for her, and by the sounds of it…"

"So she claims."

Gritting her teeth at her father's stubbornness, Rachel flung the door open. Almost instantly everyone went quiet.

James stood a few feet from the door, as usual in a smart suit. Phone in hand, his gaze fixed firmly on his daughter. His expression was a mix of relief and aggravation. Opposite him was Sera, blue jeans and a white t-shirt. Her hand was placed gently on the brunette, who was still in her muddy blue jeans. The hoodie was gone, replaced by a white Jane doe t-shirt. There were dark circles under her eyes, a telltale sign she hadn't slept yet, or at least not slept enough.

"Rachel!" Sera sobbed, moving toward the blonde enveloping her in a near bone-crushing hug.

"Mom..." Rachel choked, returning the hug.

She tensed up as she felt the familiar arm of her father wrap around her as well. Ignoring the now severely doused anger she felt towards her dad, she put one of her arms around him, just thankful she still had the opportunity to do this.

'Funny how a close brush with death changes your perspective on things...'

After a few moments of silence, James spoke, "Baby girl… Rachel, what happened to you?"

"She's already told you," Sera countered irritated nodding towards the brunette, who looked a little awkward.

"I'd like to hear my daughter's version, if you don't mind."

"What did she tell you?" Rachel asked pulling away from him, but still holding onto Sera.

He paused for a moment, looking towards the brunette then back to his daughter and sighed, "She said you almost died."

"I believe she used the term was..." Sera paused shifting uncomfortably, "buried alive."

"Then she's told you the truth…" Rachel paused, giving the brunette a small smile, "Nathan buried me… alive, in the junkyard, I guess… he thought I was… dead."

"He did… does think you're dead," the brunette corrected. "That alone will make both he and… Jefferson..." The second name sounded almost forced. "That will make them both take a 'break' if you will, from their… fucked up fetish."

"Jefferson… as in Mark Jefferson, the photographer?" Rachel questioned, shuddering as an involuntary shiver ran down her spine. "He's in on this?"

"Nathan's his little 'protege', and his father's funding the whole fucked up thing."

"Wait… Sean Prescott?" Rachel asked in disbelief.

"Who do you think funded that fucked up bunker?"

"He… Nathan mentioned his father paid for it, I didn't realize he was actually in on it..."

"Would you pay a million dollars for something and not want to know what it was used for?" the brunette asked, eyebrow raised.

"I guess not," Rachel sighed.

Confused, James interrupted, "I still don't understand why we have to wait. From what you've told me, they already have files in that bunker of other victims. We can raid it and be done before dinner."

"Two reasons, as I've already explained," the brunette sighed, her eyes flickering to Rachel then back to James, "but for the benefit of Rachel I'll explain it again."

She continued walking over to a nearby chair sitting down.

"If we go in guns blazing, Sean Prescott will most likely find a way to slip away scot-free. He will be able to plead ignorance to his son's condition. Simply put, the evidence needed to put him away with both Nathan and Jefferson just doesn't exist yet. Believe me, I have looked," she paused picking the dirt from under her nails, "but I know for a fact the evidence, everything you could want to allow you to look into every aspect of his life WILL exist in six months time."

Rachel frowned. "Will exist… how do you-?"

"I'll explain later." She offered Rachel a tired smile. "As I said last night, we have a LOT to catch up on." Turning her attention back to James, the brunette continued, "Now the second reason. If Rachel shows up before October the 7th, Nathan and Jefferson might… will freak out, either going after her life or destroying evidence... or both. That's why I… we need you to do what I've asked."

"Six months…" Rachel breathed quickly figuring out the time gap between now and then, "I… I can't see Chloe for six months," she finished, slightly panicking.

The panic quickly turned to worry as she saw the brunette pull her knees up to her chin, looking like she was about to cry herself.

"Neither of us can."

Seeing the girl who had saved her curl up on herself, Rachel let go of her mom and made her way over to the brunette. She crouched down in front of her, placing her hands on the brunette's knees.

"You… know Chloe?"

She nodded, taking a shaky breath as she spoke slowly and clearly. "Chloe thinks… knows that something has happened to you. She doesn't stop looking right up until…" she trailed off as an involuntary shudder worked its way through the girl's body. "If she knew you were safe, she would stop looking, and Nathan and Jefferson might start up again." She gave the blonde a sad smile. "I know it's cruel, it's the last thing I want to do believe me, but with her not knowing, she keeps both of them on their toes, and she keeps other people safe but..." pausing, she swallowed hard, tears starting to roll down her cheek. "Chloe is going to fall, much more than she has ever done before… but she will be alive."

"She's gonna think she's been abandoned again," Rachel said glumly wiping a tear off her own cheek.

"Now do you see now, Mr. Amber?" the brunette asked sternly. "Why it has to be done this way. It's not just for Rachel, or me or Chloe. It's for every girl they have ever done this too." She wiped her cheeks, smearing even more mud across her face, if that was even possible, and leveled him with a stare No anger or hate, just pure determination. "Now do you understand?"

"You..." Rachel breathed, looking the brunette in the eyes. "They… got you too?" She asked softly.

When the brunette offered a shake nod, the blonde closed her eyes and took a breath. To think that someone else had gone through what she went through, another girl, and survived, not only that but that same girl had saved her.

"Pappa."

Her voice was so quiet, barely audible. The name she hadn't used for her father in years caused the corridor to become deathly silent.

"I'm right here… baby girl," James replied, sounding uncharacteristically unsure of himself.

"Do it. Whatever she's asked," she uttered softly, wrapping her arms around the brunette, comforting her.

"Rachel, you don't under-"

"You asked what it would take," Rachel said firmly, looking over at her father, expression determined. "This is it."

For a fraction of a second, he went rigid, clearly thinking things over.

"What do you mean? What it would take?" Sera asked her slightly confused.

"He knows," Rachel replied softly, passing a gentle glace at the brunette, shifting slightly as she felt the brunette relax into her.

"James, what does she mean?" Sera repeated the question to the graying man as he began pacing back and forth tapping his phone on his knuckles, thinking.

"Huh, oh just err… penance, I guess you could say," James responded offhandedly as he continued to pace. A few moments later he stopped, letting his shoulders slump in defeat. "Okay, I'll do it."

"Thank you," the brunette mumbled, barely moving.

"You understand this isn't going to be easy," he said, looking at the two girls letting out a small chuckle. "Well, not easy for me. All you two have to do is keep a low profile. That means no one can see you… baby girl."

He gave a sad smile, clearly happy that he finally got to use his daughter's pet name again.

"Gimme some hair dye, my makeup kit and an hour and not even you would recognize me… or a bowl of mud," Rachel added slightly morbid as it was. She didn't even recognize herself when she woke up.

"Okay then, I'll er… reinstate your allowance, too. You won't have to worry about the hotel bill. I'll pay that in advance before I leave, but any room service or extras are coming out of your girls' own money."

"Like hell it is," Sera objected, giving the girls a warm smile. "You girls need anything, I'll be in the hotel across the street… unfortunately, this one is fully booked."

"You're not staying?" Rachel asked, feeling a little disappointed.

"I've got a lot of work to do… a lot of work," James said frowning at the thought, "but I'm on the end of the phone if you need anything… or even, ya know… just to talk."

"Thank you, dad," Rachel replied, untangling herself from the brunette as she stood and approached her father. Hesitating for a moment she threw her arms around him, "I think I'd like that"

"And I think you two girls have a lot to talk about," Sera added, accepting the hug as her daughter moved from James to her. "I'm only going to be across the street. I'm not going anywhere"

"Thank you both… for being here. I kinda needed this, ya know."

Saying their goodbyes, James and Sera left the two girls in the corridor. Rachel helped the brunette up and both girls entered their room, closing the door behind them. Once the brunette was sat on the bed, Rachel set about making coffee with the complimentary items supplied. She could feel the atmosphere change, not unpleasant, but definitely uneasy.

"I do have a question for you, Rachel Amber," the brunette spoke first, her voice almost sounding angry.

"Well if it's any help, I have good dozen or so for you too."

Rachel smiled to herself a little. One question she was sure the brunette wasn't going to be prepared for, maybe even give the blonde a small amount of amusement, temporary relief from what she had been through.

"I figured you would," the brunette sighed, "but… I need to know..." her voice became strained, almost sounding like it was breaking. "How could you do that to Chloe?"

Rachel froze as she reached for the sugar. _'She couldn't possibly know, could she?_ ' she thought, regaining her composure she continued making the coffee.

"I… dunno what you mean." A lie, but best to find out what she knew before advertising her shame.

"Please don't play dumb, Rachel. It's insulting for both of us," The brunette said sternly. "How could you cheat on Chloe?"

Rachel steadied herself on the unit she was making coffee at, gripping the edges tightly. "I wasn't cheating on Chloe… not exactly."

The last part whispered as though some small part of her tried desperately to convince herself it was true. While on a technicality it was true, to the outside world, and more importantly in her heart she knew it wasn't.

"Sure looks that way from where I'm sat, and looks that way when Chloe finds those pictures and letters from you to Frank."

Rachel winced at her words. That's exactly what it was supposed to look like to the outside world, to her father. She let out a half chuckle as she wiped a tear off her cheek. She was so fed up with crying.

"What's so funny? That you were sleeping with him and planning on disappearing on her leaving her a half-assed excuse in a letter, just use her…"

"NO!" Rachel growled, "For your information, Miss know it all, I was going to tell her… last night in fact," she finished quietly. "FUCK!" she shouted, kicking the dresser and instantly regretting that action. "Fuck, if Nathan was here right now..." she spat, gripping the side of the dresser tighter she took a deep breath to regain her composure. "I don't just abandon those I care about. Chloe… she's had enough of that in her life,"

"You were going to tell her," the brunette repeated, almost too quiet to hear

"Of course I was" Rachel breathed, "And I… I was, or at least thought I was prepared for the consequences. Unlike one of her so-called friends, I wasn't about to ditch on her because things got difficult."

"You mean abandon… for five years," her voice was quiet and shaky.

"Yeah… wait."

Rachel frowned turning to face the brunette, who had pulled her knees up to her chin trying to make herself look small. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks, eyes filled with a look that the blonde had come to know all too well. It had followed her around for the last week, stared back at her with prejudice whenever she looked in the mirror, guilt.

"How do you know that?"

Rachel watched as with that question the brunette seemed to try to make herself smaller, either unwilling or unable to respond. At that moment, she looked like a child. The blonde's eyes widened. An image, a picture from when she was looking through Joyce's photo album. A younger Chloe Price standing next to a slightly shorter brunette.

"Max!" Rachel exclaimed. "Maxine Caulfield."

At the sound of the name, the brunette appeared to shrink in on herself more if it was even possible. "Max if you don't mind," she all but whispered.

"Maxine fucking Caulfield," Rachel shot angrily taking a step towards the brunette.

' _How DARE she judge me after what she did to Chloe_.'

* * *

gulp

Till next week


	8. Chapter 8

**Best-Laid Plans**

 **Another week and another chapter**

 **Enjoy**

* * *

"You know, I haven't been able to decide if you're a user or a coward." Rachel stopped at the foot of the bed, practically towering over the shrinking brunette, each name causing her to appear to sink further into bed, shrinking. "Or just a really shitty friend," she continued in a softer but firm tone, "But I NEVER took you for a hypocrite."

She crossed her arms turning her back on the brunette.

"Do you have ANY idea what you ABANDONING her did to her? She was always there for you as a kid, and how do you repay her? You turn your back on her when she needs you the most. Was Seattle that good? Or was Chloe just not important anymore?"

"No..." Max whimpered.

"Then what? You just FORGOT about her?" Rachel snapped, she wasn't entirely sure why she was so angry. Okay, part of that was a lie.

Every time the punk had brought up Max, it stirred a whole host of bitterness and grief in her that often lasted for the best part of the day. Part of her wanted Max to see just how much Chloe had been hurting over her radio silence. Another part was furious she was being criticized by someone that had, in the long term, done something far worse than she herself had. A small part of her hoped it would derail the conversation so she wouldn't have to admit her mistakes out loud any more than she already had. For that, she felt more than a little bit guilty.

"I was afraid, okay?!" Max all but shouted.

The sudden outburst startled the blonde. "Of what, a PHONE?" Rachel retorted, her voice equally high as the brunette's. "All you had to do was pick up the phone… I don't think you would have even had to say anything, so long as she knew it was you," she finished softer. Sighing she returned to the coffee, "This has gone cold now… I'll make a fresh one."

Picking up the cups, she went and emptied them down the sink in the bathroom, returning to the bedroom she set about making some fresh coffee.

"The day we… buried William..." Max all but mumbled. "That was the last time I saw Chloe for… a really long time. I didn't want to leave."

Rachel could tell by the girl's voice she was crying. Taking pity, she spoke softly. "It wasn't the leaving that hurt Chloe."

"Before we left I tried going to her but… she moved away, and that… hurt. I know she didn't mean it, but I couldn't help feeling somehow like she blamed me," Max continued as though she hadn't heard the blonde. "At first, I was so adamant that I wasn't going to leave things that way, and every time I found a message on my phone from her I swore to myself… I swore the next time, I would just call her and nothing would stop me. Something always did. As time went on, I started to think… she doesn't need me anymore, or that's what I kept telling myself."

Picking the now finished fresh coffees, Rachel walked over to the bed and placed them on the bedside, sitting next to the tearful brunette.

"Chloe never blamed you for leaving, Max," she said softly placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "She spoke of you often, you know. Heh, a lot of the times she even managing to smile about your adventures as kids… other times it did upset her but, if you turned up on her doorstep tomorrow, she'd have you back in a heartbeat."

"I know. It just hurts to think she died alone thinking no one gave a shit about her… especially me."

"What?" Rachel almost shouted alarmed. "Dead?!"

"No, Chloe's fine."

"But you just said-"

"I know, it's... complicated. Past and present first, then we can talk about the future… or else this is going to get even more complicated," the brunette reassured.

Rachel gave a small nod. "Okay, you're the boss," she said as she reached over for the two coffees, giving one to Max.

Taking the cup Max thanked her, taking a mouthful with a satisfied hum.

"You're welcome," Rachel replied, taking a mouthful of her own drink. Holding the cup in her lap, she began drawing circles around the rim with her index finger. "I… did cheat." The word tasted sour in her mouth. "Not intentionally, and it was only once. It wasn't even part of the plan."

"Plan?"

Rachel shuffled uncomfortably. "Me and Chloe were going to run away, leave Arcadia bay once I graduated."

"She was… is still hoping for that..." Max revealed.

"Well, short version. My dad found out. I don't know how. Best guess, someone at Blackwell overheard me and Chloe talking about it and my dad heard from them." Rachel shrugged. "Doesn't matter now, I guess. When he found out he cut my allowance, which I was saving so we could get Chloe's truck fixed and have some left over to start fresh… anywhere," pausing she took another mouthful of her drink. "Dunno if you noticed but there's a rather large discrepancy between the number of people in Arcadia and the number of jobs… particularly for a student and a high school drop out."

"You mean expelled," Max gave a little smirk, "I've seen her file at Blackwell. Yours too... and Nathan's. I'm just surprised he wasn't expelled. His file, his REAL file, is worse than Chloe's."

"Amazing what having money does for you, huh?"

"They won't be buying their way out of this one. Not this time."

"I hope so" Rachel nodded, "Anyway, Frank offered me a job, nothing big, just delivering weed to a few of the students at Blackwell. I didn't handle any of the money or anything stronger. Not exactly what I had in mind for a career, but needs must."

"That confirms one of the rumors…" Max muttered to herself. "Or at least David's suspicions."

"You mean Step Douche," Rachel smiled.

Max let out a small chuckle, "Yes Step Douche, but… he's not all bad. Just really bad at being nice, but he does care."

"I'll take your word for it," Rachel grinned. "Dare I ask what the other rumors were?"

Max averted her eyes. "There was only one other, it's… not so nice."

"Oh?"

"It's that…" Max hesitated, receiving an expectant look from Rachel she blurted it out, "You were sleeping with Mark Jefferson," she finished the sentence with a disgusted look on her face, like the name was poison.

"WHAT?!" Rachel almost choked on her coffee shaking her head. "I bet I know who started that rumor. Victoria Chase."

"Probably."

"No, I wasn't sleeping with Jefferson, and judging by the way your acting when his name is mentioned, I guess my instincts were right on point. Guy gave me the creeps, always trying to get me to stay behind after class, or stop by after school… kinda glad I didn't." A shiver ran down her spine.

"I had my doubts about that one, to be honest. Glad it was just a rumor."

"You and me both." Rachel nodded. "Anyway, so Franks helped me out getting a little cash together, and then… I go and take a leaf right out of my father's book," she muttered angrily. "I started to think, James… my dad didn't want me hanging around with Chloe because it would look bad, so I thought, what if he thought I was sleeping with a known drug dealer… I didn't tell Chloe. I didn't want her to get jealous over nothing," she let out a sigh. "Biggest mistake of my life. The plan was simple. Just hang out with Frank a bit, a couple of photos and basically bribe my… dad." She wiped a tear off her cheek. "He didn't deserve that, neither of them did, but I didn't want to let Chloe down, so I pushed on. It was only meant to be for a week or so."

"I've seen those pictures, and a letter you wrote to Frank."

"During that time, I got to know Frank a little better. He wasn't as bad as people made him out to be. One night he got a little too drunk… he scared me a little, so I wrote him that letter, more to try and get him to see he needed to cut back, but also I was starting to have second thoughts… I was ready to just forget the whole thing. It was about a day or so later me and Chloe had an argument, nothing major. I was spending a lot of time with the Vortex gang… at least that's what I told her… I wasn't, obviously. It's my own fault really. I was so focused on getting us out of Arcadia I started neglecting Chloe." She offered Max a weak apologetic shrug. "Anyway, I went to see Frank, and got a little drunk, no prizes for guessing where that led."

"Shit."

"Yeah… I woke up the next morning, and instantly felt sick. Not because Frank was a bad guy, or bad looking in a way I guess, but because I knew it would break Chloe… I left before Frank woke up, spent the whole day trying to figure out a way to rationalize it, thinking maybe I could talk my way out of it. The more I thought about it, the more I knew I would end up hurting both Frank and Chloe. Neither of them deserved that, so I was going to run. Just leave Chloe a note and just run away." She looked away from the brunette, swiping angrily at the tears on her cheeks. "You must think me a real coward."

"I believe that would make me a hypocrite," Max smiled placing a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"Touche." Rachel let out an amused humph. "Before I could run, Frank found me, and I just blurted out everything. I had nothing left to lose… or so I thought. He talked me into staying, said he would help me out however he could, and convinced me to tell Chloe… That's what I was on my way to do last night. I was prepared… or so I thought, to do whatever it took, grovel if I had too."

Max bit her lip. "I know it's not going to be easy for Chloe… but I also think not knowing where you are or if your safe will hurt her more."

"I dunno about that… she can get pretty jealous."

"That she definitely can," Max half chuckled. "I, uh… I'm sorry."

"For what?" Rachel frowned.

"Jumping to conclusions… about you and Frank. You'd think I'd have learned about that the first time around." Max smiled weakly.

"You know, you talk really… weird. Like you know things that haven't happened yet. Heh, that sounds crazy, like you some sort of fortune teller," Rachel chuckled. Her chuckling ceased when she saw the brunette shifting uncomfortably. "Max!"

"Not quite… but then not far off either, I guess." Max sighed, giving the blonde a small smile. "I guess it's my turn for story time, but I warn you… you're gonna find this hard to believe."

"You'll find I can be pretty open-minded," the blonde smirked. "Try me."

"Okay then… I'm a time traveler."

The answer caught her off guard. "I'm sorry. Did you say…?"

"Time traveler," the brunette repeated, a hint of amusement on her voice.

"You'll excuse me if I ask for some sort of proof…" Rachel stopped, noticing an ever so slight shift in the way the brunette was sat. Almost too small to see, but definitely noticeable.

Max looked at her raising an eyebrow, "Honk, tire squeal, smash."

"Wait, what?"

A loud honk came from the now open window, followed by tires screeching and a bang as a vehicle collided with something. The sudden series of loud noises caused her to jump, looking at the brunette in alarm who simply gestured to the open window, Rachel regained her composure going over to investigate. A warm spring breeze greeted her as she stuck her head out the window, down below a busy bustling street stretched out as far as the eye could see. Dozens of people surrounded two vehicles, both clearly just being involved in a minor accident.

"Just a few bumps and bruises, nothing major," Max assured from her position on the bed.

"That's…" the blonde gasped, shutting the window returning the room to its peaceful quiet, and slowly walked back to the bed. She stopped and looked at the brunette, "Lucky guess?" she asked, part hopeful, but also part curious and although she knew it was silly, a little worried.

"Afraid not," Max smirked, clearly enjoying the reaction.

"Just checking." Rachel grinned. "You wouldn't mind another... you know, something I can maybe control or participate in?" she asked as she began pacing a little.

'This can't be real. It has to be a trick or, or… what if it's not, she knows shit… "Don't make me go back again" she definitely said that. It would explain a lot.'

"What did you have in mind?" Max asked curiously.

"Hmm, I'm not sure." Rachel frowned stopping suddenly as an idea began to form, with a smirk she turned to the brunette, who had moved slightly and was now slightly scarlet. "You okay, Max?"

"I should have known you'd think of something like that..." Max replied sheepishly

"I haven't said anything yet."

Blushing harder, Max pulled a black item from behind her, holding up for the blonde to inspect.

It didn't take the blonde more than a few seconds to recognize the item in question. A quick check down her top confirmed her theory.

'Not really much denying it now, I guess.' She thought, raising an eyebrow at the blushing brunette.

"I guess that answers my other question too."

"Wh… what other question?"

"How I ended up in bed in my underwear?" the blonde smirked, loving the fact that Max was turning even more red if that was even possible. "Hope you enjoyed the show… although next time I'd prefer to be awake."

"I… err, I didn't… I mean… the lights were off," Max stammered shyly.

"Relax, Max!" Rachel chuckled moving to sit next to the now completely scarlet Max putting an arm around her, "Chloe was right. You're easy to embarrass… and so fun to watch getting flustered."

"She really did talk about me?" she asked, sounding hopeful.

"Of course, she spoke of you often and quite fondly… she also got upset about it at times," Rachel paused trying to find a way to word her next question. "If you can time travel… not that I don't believe you it's just… we're so gonna have to play later." she grinned playfully, causing Max to chuckle. "What… what I say?"

"Max let out a weary chuckle, "Chloe said almost exactly the same thing… although you don't seem like the gun-wielding type, at least I hope not."

"Guns, no. Although I have a mean swing with a two by four." Seeing Max's puzzled expression, she continued, "A story for another time."

"I look forward to it… but I'm sure there was a question there somewhere."

"Huh, oh right. Well, with time travel, why not just go back and talk to Chloe?" There had to be a reason.

"I thought about it but… Time travel, it has teeth. Small stuff I can get away with the odd headache, sometimes a nosebleed. But to go back like I did with you… I'm nineteen, Rachel."

"So… wait, Chloe's older than you?"

"Not anymore… at least not up here anyway." Max sighed, tapping her temple. "I jumped back from more than a year from now… after Chloe was…"

"Killed," Rachel summarized. It didn't take a genius to figure out something bad had happened the way the brunette was acting. Rubbing Max's shoulder for reassurance, Rachel spoke softly, "In your own time, Max."

"But where in my timeline to start though?" she replied, sounding frustrated.

"The beginning would be a good place to start."

"That would be… October 7th, 2013. The day it started and the day it ended. The day I let Chloe… the day she was killed." Guilt ate away at her words, reducing them to silence.

It would only get harder from here...

* * *

 **Well, until next week XD**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ground Rules**

* * *

 **Hello readers.**

 **Here's the next one, and a little news at the end**.

* * *

Rachel paused her story, almost afraid to look at Chloe. There was so much shame and guilt. While it felt... kind of good to get it off her chest, she still felt like crap. Why was Chloe even listening anymore? She didn't have to, and she sure as hell wouldn't blame her for bailing right then and there. Forever. Rachel didn't want that, the very thought made her want to cry, but this wasn't about her.

She'd forfeited that right a million times over.

"Staying away was the last thing that I… we wanted, Chloe. Trust me."

When she finally worked up the courage, her heart sank a little. The punk's expression was… confusing, filled with uncertainty and sadness. and something else, guilt maybe.

"You really know how to put me in weird situations, huh." There was almost a hint of humor in Chloe's reply, but maybe she was imagining it.

"Everything about this is… strange."

"Yeah, no shit. And you know what's even stranger? The whole 'Frank thing' is more confusing than Max and time travel. I really want to hate him but… ugh, I don't know anymore."

"This isn't his fault, Chloe." Rachel sighed deeply. "If you're going to hate anyone, hate me. I can take it." She didn't believe that, but what else could she say? No more running.

Chloe shook her head, shoulders slumping at Rachel's dejected acceptance of blame. "I don't hate you, Rach. I just… this is a lot to process. Sorry…"

Rachel frowned, half confused and half angry at the mess she'd caused. "Chloe. You have nothing to apologize for."

"Don't I?" Sheepishly, she pushed hair away from Rachel's cheek, still red.

Blonde hair covered the mark when Rachel broke her gaze. "No, I deserved that."

"Bullshit." Chloe gently turned her head, so she was looking at her again. "I should've listened, not stormed out… like I always do. I owe you that much."

"Nobody could blame you." Rachel held a finger to Chloe's lips, silencing her inevitable protest. "You shouldn't feel less angry just because you're in love with me." That made her hesitate. "At least, I hope you still-"

Her sentence was cut short as Chloe crushed her lips against hers. The kiss was slow, reassuring.

"I do still love you, Rachel," Chloe mumbled as she rested her head against the blonde's.

That one sentence made her heart jump. She almost didn't want to believe it, it was too good to be true, but she knew Chloe wouldn't say that unless she meant it.

"You have no idea how many times I dreamt of you saying that..." Rachel sobbed, burying her face in the punk's shoulder.

"Probably about the same as me dreaming of you walking through the door over the last six months."

"Yeah, probably."

Clearing her throat, Chloe gently pulled away. "Does this mean I need to thank Frank? Man, that's gonna be a weird conversation."

"You don't need to say anything to him."

"I do, kinda owe the guy like three grand," she mumbled sheepishly.

"Owed, past tense." Seeing the punk frown, Rachel elaborated, "We, me and Max, met him this morning. Think of it as a part apology for not taking you with us to Portland."

"Only part?"

"A promise is a promise. After all this bullshit is over, we can finally take that road trip." She smiled instinctively. "Unless you don't want to."

"Do you even have to ask?"

"It was rhetorical." Rachel's smile turned mischievous. "You're coming, whether you like it or not. There's so much I want to see and do. It wouldn't feel right without you, Chloe."

"I thought you would've seen it all with Max." Chloe couldn't help but sound a little bitter about that.

Rachel noticed, shifting uncomfortably. "It… wasn't as fun as you'd think."

Sighing heavily, she returned to her sad and sorry retelling of their time in Portland.

"Hello, earth to Rachel."

"Huh?" Rachel blinked a few times, Sera's voice bringing her back to reality. "Sorry, I was a million miles away."

She offered her a smile, brushing a stray hair out of her face as she took a bite of her french toast.

"A lot on your mind?" Sera asked, taking a mouthful of her coffee. "I'm still struggling to imagine how she knows what she does, but I am glad she does."

"You and me both, mom. I owe that girl a lot."

It had been nearly three months since Rachel had been pulled from the earth, her appointment with death postponed, and Max had told her of her grim future, retold her own adventure through time.

"We both do… no, we all do, Speaking of, where is she? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"She's still sleeping," Rachel idly poked the rest of her toast. "She doesn't sleep well, constantly tossing and turning. Not that I blame her. She's been through hell."

"She wasn't the one buried… alive," Sera all but whispered the last part.

That felt like a lifetime ago now. "As morbid as it sounds… That part's a walk in the park in comparison."

Both of them were silent for a while, still finding it hard to process everything that had happened… and almost happened.

Eventually, Sera spoke again, "So, what have you two got planned? You can't spend your whole time cooped up in that room."

Eager to change the topic, Rachel replied, "Well, after this I'm gonna go wake Max up with some breakfast, and I planned us taking a walk along the river after a little shopping."

"Almost sounds like a date," Sera smirked.

"MOM!"

"What?" her mom smirked innocently. "She's cute."

"I have a girlfriend, Chloe… if she will still have me after this," Rachel muttered sadly.

"Rachel." Sera sighed as she reached across the table taking her hand. "You can't think like that. Yes, you did something… questionable."

"That's putting it mildly," Rachel mumbled.

Ignoring the interruption, she continued, "But she risked her life for you. That kind of love isn't easily extinguished… she'll forgive you."

"And if she doesn't?" That was a definite possibility. Chloe could hold a grudge almost indefinitely.

"You can't think like that," Sera paused, unable to lie and tell her daughter everything would work just itself out. That was irresponsible, "but if she doesn't… well, you cross that bridge when and if you get to it."

"Thanks to Max, I actually get a chance to see that bridge… this time." A rare second chance she would not waste.

She might not be full of wisdom, but it felt wrong to leave certain things left unsaid. "Listen, Rachel. You can't put your life on hold waiting for D-day. No matter what you do, it's coming… Take it from someone who knows. You got three months, consider it a holiday, maybe let your defenses down a little bit."

"I…"

"What, you think I don't know? I may not have been around while you were growing up, but I recognize those defenses… because I've used them. Still do," Sera admitted sheepishly.

Rachel sighed deeply. "I don't use them with Chloe, because I don't have too."

"Maybe it's time to take them down for other people too."

"Easier said than done."

That earned her a weary chuckle. "Never said it was easy, hun. Hell, I'm still learning myself."

Nodding, Rachel checked the time on her phone, smiling as she got up from the table. "Time to go wake Max up."

"Well, until next time." Sera smiled, getting up from her seat offering the young girl a hug.

"See you tomorrow maybe," Rachel said, hugging her mom back.

"Hopefully. Maybe you can get Max to join us," she paused running her fingers through her daughter's black hair. "I'm still not used to you with black hair."

"Me neither. It was a nice change but… I can't wait to strip it out."

Sera let the hair between her fingers fall back into place. "Maybe you could try another color. Something lighter."

"Maybe." Rachel would be lying if she said it hadn't crossed her mind. "Maybe if Chloe takes me back, I'll dye it blue."

"That would be... interesting."

"If I don't like it, I can always change it."

Sera offered a gentle smile. "I guess so."

After saying her goodbyes, she left the room ready to get back to Max. Exiting the elevator with breakfast in hand, Rachel walked down the hallway to their hotel room. As she entered the dark room, she could hear the brunette tossing and turning, mumbling incoherently in her sleep.

It had been the same for the last three months. Nights of restless sleep or no sleep at all, sometimes spent talking about their pasts. A certain blue haired punk in particular.

Making her way over to the bed, Rachel put the breakfast bag of waffles on the bedside and sat on the bed, placing a hand on the restless brunette.

"Hey Max, I brought breakfast," she said softly.

"Mmm, morning," Max grumbled sleepily.

Rachel smiled at the almost unintelligible sound. "Silly question, but how did you sleep?"

"Not too bad. No worse than normal."

"Only another three months and it's over," Rachel reassured. "Then you'll have me and Chloe to help you."

Max scoffed softly. "You're gonna have enough on your plate. Not gonna need me to complicate things."

"And you think I'm about to abandon you?" Max's lack of faith actually hurt a little. "Even if Chloe doesn't forgive me, you're not getting rid of me that easily"

"She'll forgive… I would."

"Oh!"

Max looked just as surprised as Rachel felt, all too eager to move on. "Umm, did I hear the word breakfast?"

"You did," Rachel smirked reaching over to the bedside retrieving the brown paper bag. "Waffles with TWO extra tubs of maple syrup," she said, handing the bag to the brunette.

"Yum," Max said enthusiastically as she sat up accepting the offering, digging in. "How's your mom?" she asked with a mouthful.

"She's good. A little disappointed you weren't there AGAIN."

Wincing slightly, Max averted her eyes. "I'll go next time…"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Right, like the five hundred other times you've promised."

"It's not been that many," she defended weakly.

"But it would if I let you get away with it."

Max didn't seem to have a valid counterpoint, instead focusing on her food. Giving up, Rachel headed to the bathroom. She needed to get Max out of the hotel room somehow. Persistence was the only method she had left.

She left the bathroom just as Max finished eating. "I'm starting to go crazy trapped in here. If you're not coming with me, I'm going alone."

"You can't do that. It's too dangerous." Panic caused her voice to waver.

"You know what else is dangerous? Getting stuck in your head. You'll worry yourself to death." The word hung heavy over them both. "I appreciate you trying to keep me safe, but I can't live like this for another three months. Neither can you. Besides, we're ghosts anyway. Those fuckers don't even know we're here."

"But what if-?"

"Max." Her expression was stern, beyond compromise. "I'm going out that door. Now. You can either come with me and have some fun for a change, or you can sit here and slowly drive yourself insane. Your choice."

Max's lip pursed, clearly not happy. "Fine."

Hazel eyes widened; she thought it would be more difficult. "Huh, thought you'd put up more of a fight."

Max got to her feet, looking for some clean clothes. "I've spent enough time around Chloe, and you for that matter, to know when I'm beat."

"Glad to hear it. Besides, worst case," Rachel gave a small shrug, "you just rewind."

She let out a sigh as she entered the bathroom to get changed. "Doesn't mean we can be reckless."

"Who said anything about reckless? You know, it IS possible to have fun without it being dangerous."

"Says the girl who hung out with Chloe Price for three years."

"Oh please, we never did anything that bad," Rachel protested indignantly.

Max offered her a skeptical look. "Rachel. I grew up with Chloe and I know for a fact she only got more reckless over the years. There is no way you guys never did anything really dangerous."

"Not always by choice…" The sadness was fleeting, replaced with a semi-force cheerfulness as she grabbed Max's hand, ready to drag her out the door. "Come on, let's go into the big bad world and explore."

"Hold it." Max dug her heels in, pulling back. "Ground rules first. One, stay close to me unless I say otherwise. Two, if I tell you to do something, do it. I've probably seen what's happened if you don't… and three, don't put yourself in danger. No matter what."

"I accept, only if you agree to my counter rule." Rachel's expression softened, showing genuine concern. "Actually try to relax out there."

Max didn't reply, shakily reaching out for the door handle. Noticing her hesitation, Rachel gently wrapped her fingers around the quivering hand, guiding her forward.

"It'll be okay, Max."

* * *

 **And that's another one down.**

 **As for the News, Me and NYCP are working on a fic that's... let's just say it been a while since it got updated,**


	10. Chapter 10

**Trial By Fire**

* * *

Three weeks running you've had a chapter, Must be the weather XD

* * *

 **Two Weeks Later**

Rachel sat on a small retaining wall, drinking a soda. A busy crowd bustled around her, marveling at the open market. Behind her were dozens of flowers in full bloom, their sweet perfume carried by a gentle warm breeze. It was a welcomed change to be outside instead of in that stuffy hotel room, which had been starting to feel like a prison. Convincing Max had been a real struggle.

After two weeks of sightseeing, visiting art galleries and window shopping, she started coming out of her shell. Rachel even managed to get her to try some different clothes with much protest. Anything to get her to smile. Despite Rachel's best effort, she knew something was still bothering Max.

Something big.

Finishing her soda, Rachel tossed the empty can in a nearby trash can. She pushed herself off the wall, ready to search. It didn't take her long, spotting Max over by a trinket stall. Walking up behind her, Rachel snaked her arms around Max's waist and rested her chin on her shoulder.

"What pretty bauble hath caught the lady's eye?"

Max rolled her eyes playfully before focusing on the stall again. "Something for Chloe. But… none of these say 'Sorry for abandoning you'."

"Could get something engraved." When her shoulders slumped, Rachel sighed. "You're worrying too much. She'll be happy to see you, after the initial rage out."

"It's that rage out I'm worried about. Something tells me it's going to way be worse than before…"

"Probably. I'll trade you," she replied, only half joking. "All my life, I've pretended to be a million times braver than I am. Fake it til' you make it, you know. I… I'm scared, Max. I know I deserve it, all of what's to come, but… I'm really fucking scared."

Max turned slightly pale, well paler, and shook her head. "No. You don't deserve everything the universe tries to throw at you."

"Well, I'll agree on the whole dying part, but everything else-"

"Some things are much worse than death."

Not giving her a chance to react, Max wandered off. Realizing that she might need some time alone, Rachel approached one of the nearby stalls. Sunlight glinted off a silver metal lighter, catching her eye. For years, she'd only ever had those cheap plastic ones. When she was trying to save money to get the hell out of Arcadia with Chloe.

"Can I help you, miss?"

The stall owner's question cut through her intrusive, anxiety-ridden thoughts. "Just browsing, thanks."

After wandering around what felt like forever, Rachel spotted Max. She was sat on a bench by the river, shoulders slumped.

"So, how about that whole 'sticking together' thing we agreed on? Kinda hypocritical of you to run off without me, don't you think?"

When Max didn't react, Rachel stopped her teasing. Now wasn't the time.

"You're gonna have to tell me what's bothering you sooner or later."

"Why?"

Rachel shrugged. "Only fair, right? You know so much about me, but you're still a bit of a mystery. Well, on some things. Others, you're an open book."

"Maybe you're still a mystery to me."

That made Rachel laugh, tired and brief but genuine. "You wouldn't be the first to think that. Even Chloe struggled. I did with her, too. People are complicated. Not some code to crack. Talking helps understanding."

Max was quiet for some time, Rachel's words and so many other things echoing in her head.

"I was there in that cursed bunker. I… had to watch. When Nathan… when he drugged you. Over and over again. I watched you come back from the brink of death, tried to do everything differently to stop that from being permanent. I watched him and Jefferson take you to the junkyard, not knowing you were only knocked out. I watched them bury you… even worse, knowing it was all my fault you were there… that I couldn't do anything but watch..."

"Max, it wasn't your fault…"

"It was, Rachel. I could've stopped it, made it so you never even went through any of that."

Annoyed by her self depreciative comments about something she couldn't really control, Rachel crossed her arms. "And if you did, it would probably be some other girl. And Jefferson and Sean would likely throw Nathan under the bus."

"Damned if I do, damned if I don't. So many people at Blackwell suffer because of them, Kate… you… Chloe… all I can do is damage control. I can't change enough."

"Max, don't you even dare. If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead, okay. Call me crazy, but I'd take buried alive over death any day. And you've changed more than anyone could ever dream of. Not just for yourself, but everyone. You gave me a second chance, even when you didn't have to."

"But I did have to, Rach." The brunette offered her a watery smile. "You meant," she paused, frowning, "...mean so much to Chloe, and you didn't deserve what was going to happen to you."

"Happened, you mean," Rachel corrected, sighing heavily when Max's shoulders slumped. "Look, you saved me. We're going to save Chloe, too. Even Kate won't have to go through half the shit she went through."

"I was thinking... Maybe I- we could stop Kate having to go through any of that." Max bit her lip, considering. "But it would mean going back a few days earlier than planned."

Rachel's eyes widened with surprise, then narrowed suspiciously. "You're not… joking, are you? Because that'd be pretty cruel if you are, Max."

When Max shook her head, a small smile forming on her lips, Rachel flung her arms around her, planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Don't get too excited. It's only a few days earlier," Max added, blushing.

"Don't care. It's fewer days I have to spend here. Don't get me wrong, I like it here… but not when I feel like a prisoner. You can't even imagine how bored I am."

"Something tells me you get bored easily. Portland is pretty big."

Rachel put a hand on her hip. "Yes, and I can't explore anywhere near as mush of it as I want. And I usually have a girlfriend to make things more… interesting."

"Chloe's good at that."

"In more ways than you might think."

Her mischievous, suggestive smirk and raised eyebrow confused Max at first, then made her blush.

"Uh… right, yeah, I'm sure…" Taking a deep breath, she changed the subject. "Speaking of Chloe, there's something I want to do. It also means you might get to see her sooner than- oof." She got cut off as Rachel performed a tackle hug for the second time. "Don't get too excited. She won't see us. It's more of a… checkup."

Breaking the hug, Rachel stared at her skeptically. "Why? What's wrong?"

Max sighed, knowing she'd have to mention this eventually. "Chloe… she gets herself into some trouble." When she saw Rachel's face switch from confusion to fear to anger, she quickly added, "Nothing serious serious but…"

"What happened- happens?"

Grabbing hold of her own arm, Max sheepishly explained the situation. "She goes to a bar, sees Nathan there. Seems like an easy score, since he's… out of it. Or so she thinks. He spikes her drink, takes her back to his dorm room and takes some pictures. She wakes up earlier than he expected, tries to kick him in the balls, but misses and hits the lamp, which is enough to scare him off."

Rachel was quiet for some time, expression giving nothing away. Her body language and aura on the other hand… "I. Am. Gonna. Kill. That. Fucker."

"It needs to happen."

"What the fuck, Max? No, it doesn't. I'm not letting him anywhere near her and nobody is gonna stop me."

Max winced, but stood her ground."Little changes, Rachel. I just want to make sure that's all that happens. If yes, it gets left alone."

"I can't believe this. You already saved me, that's a pretty big fucking change."

"For you yes, to the rest of the world your missing, Look I'm doing everything I can. If it was that simple, I would do it… but it's not. Everything I do has a consequence, not always a good one. Shit, I'd have gone back and busted all their asses by now. I could've gone back, saved William and made it stick, like I have with you. But then everything changes. Everyone changes, Chloe and you included. Unless it's something life-threatening, I'm not taking the risk. As much as I might want to..."

Rachel opened her mouth to argue, then gave up. "What about Kate, then?"

"I'm hoping an anonymous tip to David will be enough. At least, to stop Nathan taking her, if nothing else. Big changes equal major trouble." Max had seen that theory in practice too much by now.

"This sucks ass…" Rachel deflated like a balloon, anger turning to sadness.

"Trust me, I know…"

Rubbing her temples, Rachel sighed deeply. "Sorry, I just… she's been through enough. I don't want her to suffer, you know."

"I don't want that either."

"I know." Shaking her head, she tried to forget about what Max just told her would happen. "So, sounds like the only thing left to worry about is the storm."

Max shook her head solemnly. "Not anymore."

"Fixed it already, huh?"

Instead of replying, Max stood up and walked over to the river, leaning over the rails. A million miles away.

Frowning, Rachel joined her. "Max?"

"Just don't worry about it. I've got it covered."

She REALLY didn't want to talk about it anymore. That much was obvious.

Rachel closed her eyes, focusing on the background sounds of nature and humanity blend.

"I've wanted to escape Arcadia for so long now. With Chloe, of course. I still do, but I want to finish high school first. And maybe you could come along too, if you wanted. But I still have friends and... family there. I can't leave until I know they are okay, so if you have fixed it, I'd like to know how. Besides, I thought I was your friend." When she opened her eyes and turned to face Max, she was gone. "What the-? So much for sticking together…"

She sighed deeply, shaking her head as she walked along the river back to her hotel. 'Guess I'd be a hypocrite for complaining too much. I did the same thing to Chloe when we first met. Man, that feels like forever ago now.'

Chloe's words echoed in Rachel's mind as she stormed away from the junkyard.

"You know. Like a friendship. But... more."

Her fist clenched, almost breaking out into a flat out run now. She needed to get away from this, everything. It was just too much. Her father and then this? The expression Chloe had made when she walked away broke her heart.

She hated running like this… but she was scared. Of so many things. She didn't know how to cope with all this. She didn't want to fuck it up. Maybe she already had.

"Fuck…" she muttered through tears.

Why did it have to be like this? Why was it never simple? She wanted to run, but there was nowhere to run to. Not even aware of where she had stopped, near a huge tree on the edge of the forest, she crumpled to the floor and sobbed her heart out.

"I'm s-sorry Chloe…"

Letting the past fade away, she crossed the bridge back to their hotel room. Halfway across, she spotted Max holding a small bag, guilt flickering in her blue eyes. Rachel stopped a few feet in front of her, hand on hip.

"You sure you know what sticking together means?"

"I forgot something. Sorta late but..." Max held out the bag for her to take.

Curious, Rachel took it from her and peeked inside. Her eyes widened as she pulled out a small silver lighter, R.A. engraved in a fancy font.

"Happy birthday, Rachel."

"Let me guess, you cheated." There was no way she could have done all this without her time powers.

Instead of replying, Max smiled. The first genuinely happy smile Rachel had seen from her, maybe ever.

"Thank you, Max." She wrapped her in a bear hug, planting a kiss on her slowly reddening cheek. "Good thing your birthday's coming up soon, huh. Then I can get my revenge."

"Revenge sounds... ominous."

Rachel threw an arm over her shoulder, guiding them back to the hotel. "Guess you'll have to wait and see."

When they returned to their hotel room, the two girls binge watched a few movies. Max fell asleep halfway through the third film, much needed. Leaving her to it, Rachel headed down to the lobby with a mission in mind.

"Can I help you, miss?" the chipper receptionist asked as she approached, the classic customer service brand of smile plastered to his face.

"I hope so. Is there anywhere nearby that sells bath salts?"

"Why, we do some right here." He paused, the next sentence little more than a whisper. "If you ask me, they are a little overpriced."

"Doesn't matter. She's worth it." Rachel smiled to herself. "What have you got?"

"I'm sure she is." He pulled three elegant jars from behind the counter. "We have Chamomile, Lavender or Soothing Lemon."

Rachel considered her options. "Hmm, I know she likes Chamomile. Well, the teas at least. Lavender is supposed to help you sleep, though." Tapping her chin, she pointed to the lavender one. "I'll take this one, please."

She handed over her card, paying for the jar. The receptionist handed them both back to her with a smile. "I hope it works."

"So do I."

Max really needed her sleep. She barely got any these days.

As the doors to the lift opened on their floor she was greeted by a high pitched scream that echoed down the hallway, drawing the attention of other guests who poked their heads out to investigate. Heart rapidly filling with fear, she let the jar crash to the floor and sprinted all the way to her room.

Bursting through the door, her heart sank when she saw Max huddled on the floor, shaking uncontrollably as she cried.

"Max!"

When she didn't respond, too lost in whatever horror had taken over her mind, Rachel kneeled down and gently grabbed her shoulders. Max's eyes instantly locked onto hers, hands firmly grasping to check reality. Her gaze dropped to Rachel's right arm, fingers moving her sleeve out of the way. She was looking for something.

"What are you…?" Frowning, Rachel pulled up the sleeve of her left arm, revealing the star tattoo on her wrist. "Is this what you're looking for?"

Max's eyes darted to her left arm, breathing a deep sigh of relief. She threw herself into a bone-crushing hug, sobbing her heart out. Rachel was left more confused than ever before, but Max was in no state to answer any of the questions burning in her mind.

Maybe it would take more than bath salts to give Max a restful night of sleep...

* * *

 **Much oof**

 **Loving the comments and theories, and pleased to see its easy enough to follow.**

 **Till next week.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Lie Detector**

* * *

 **Hey, guys, N gals hope you all had a good week.**

 **Here's the next one as promised.**

* * *

Rachel shuffled, uncomfortable with the memories. "That was when her nightmares started… well, that's not true. That was when they got far far worse. Max said it was just remnants of alternate timelines."

"And you don't believe that," Chloe summarized, getting a nod.

"She's still hiding something. Something big. It's painfully obvious."

Feeling a pang of insecurity, Chloe glanced away. "You really care about her, huh."

"Getting jealous there, Price?"

"What? No…"

"Liar. She saved my life and yours. So yes, I care." Rachel gently took Chloe's hands in hers, offering a soft smile.

"You know, I kinda forgot how touchy-feely you are. With everyone."

"With Max, there's a method to the madness."

Hazel eyes focused on their joined hands. Chloe glanced down, noticing a thin black line on the back of her palm.

"What the…?"

"Only way I can tell if she's time cheating." Rachel held her fingers out, showing Chloe the dark lines under her nails. "It's just eyeliner. Any marks on her stay, even if she rewinds. She doesn't even notice when I do it - because I'm touchy-feely - and washes off when she showers. I simply put a mark behind her ear, then ask her something. If there's already one there, she's rewound. "

"Damn, Rach. That's pretty genius." Maybe Chloe shouldn't be surprised. "A Max lie detector."

She shrugged at the praise. "It's not perfect. More like a Max dodge detector. No prizes for guessing the big one she's avoiding."

"The storm."

Sighing, a mix of frustration and concern, Rachel nodded. "She's making it way more complicated than it has to be."

"If she's doing all this to avoid talking about it, she must have a serious reason." Chloe frowned, clearly hating being left in the dark.

"That's what scares me."

"We'll figure it out," Chloe assured putting an arm around the blonde. "Max never could keep a secret from me."

"I'll admit, she's not particularly good at keeping secrets."

"True that…" Chloe faltered, a mounting sense of dread building in the pit of her stomach. "Wait, what's she told you?

Instead of replying, Rachel offered her a mischievous grin. "Unlike Max, I'm very good at keeping secrets."

It was late when the beat-up truck pulled into the driveway of the Price residence. Chloe shut off the engine, glancing at Rachel. Her head rested against the punk's shoulder, dead to the world. Hesitating, she gave her a gentle shoulder nudge.

"We're home."

Rachel stirred, yawning. She rubbed her eyes, blinking several times before focusing on Chloe.

"No, Price. I've been home for a few hours now."

Chloe's heart jumped, feeling her cheeks heat up. "Don't get all mushy on me."

"You love it." Rachel planted a quick kiss on her lips, got out of the truck and sauntered over to the front door.

"You know, you don't have to wait," Chloe called out, closing her truck door with all the subtlety of a rhino. "Mom's gonna be happy to see you… although expect a few questions.

"I'm not worried about Joyce, silly. I'm just waiting for you." Rachel smiled, sliding a hand into Chloe's and pulling her bra strap over to hide a large love bite. "Hmm, that's not gonna work."

Chloe chuckled, pointing out the mark on Rachel's neck. "And what about this one."

"I guess things got a little… heated back there."

"That's putting it mildly. Felt way too short, though."

Rachel gently squeezed her hand. "After this shitstorm is sorted, you, me and a hotel room for the weekend."

"That sounds like a plan I can get behind."

"I thought you liked getting behind me," she smirked teasingly, giving the punk a small hip bump.

"Well, uh... that too."

Laughing at Chloe's sudden embarrassment, Rachel shoved her through the door. The punk rounded the corner, entering the kitchen. Joyce was there, making a cup of coffee.

"Hi, mom. How was work?"

Raising an eyebrow at her daughter's uncharacteristically chipper question, Joyce turned around. She didn't even get the chance to say a single word before Chloe hugged her.

"Someone's in a… good mood?"

"Is it illegal to hug my own mom?" Chloe asked, trying to sound innocent.

Joyce put a hand on her hip. "Would be about the only thing you've done that wasn't illegal."

"Only illegal if I get caught." Chloe shot back leaning against the sink.

"Which seems to happen a lot. But now I'm worried about what you do get away with." Joyce shook her head, taking a sip of her coffee. "Work was fine, tiring. You should try it sometime."

Crossing her arms, Chloe assumed a mock stern expression. "You know, I was JUST gonna rinse those dishes in the sink. Keyword, WAS."

"Well, that lasted all of five seconds," Rachel sighed, rolling her eyes as she leaned against the door frame.

"Chill babe, I was joking." Chloe tossed a soaked tea towel at her.

"Ah!" Rachel squeaked, only half catching the projectile.

The wet part slapped her face. Eyes narrowed, she tossed it back along with a playful "bitch". Chloe dodged it with ease, giggling.

"It's good seeing you smile again, Chloe." Joyce turned to Rachel, pulling her into a hug. "I probably have you to thank for that."

"Not just me, Joyce."

"I suspect having Max back too helps."

Chloe fiddled with her fingers, refusing to look at either of them. "Maybe."

"Speaking of, where is she?" Rachel glanced around, trying to find her.

"Sleeping on the sofa," Joyce revealed, jabbing her thumb towards the lounge. "She tried to fight it, wanted to wait till you two got home… but I guess it's been a long day."

"You could say that," Rachel muttered as she approached the couch.

Max was curled up in a blanket on there, just as Joyce had said. Hearing movement in David's workshop, she made her way over to the door.

"Mom, I, uh… need to talk to you."

Rachel smiled, knowing where that particular conversation between Chloe and Joyce was headed. She had her own task to do. She entered the well-lit garage. Various tools, rags and other junk were scattered across the worktops. A cell phone was placed haphazardly next to David's well-used laptop.

A grunt and clunk drew Rachel's attention over to David's pride and joy. He didn't even glance up from his work, head stuck under the hood.

"What're you doing here?"

Mentally preparing herself, Rachel took a few steps towards the muscle car. "I wanted to ask about Kate."

David sighed, pausing his work. "She's fine. Never seen someone go from sober to drunk that quick." Rolling his shoulders, he started adjusting something. "Escorted her back to the dorm with Dana Ward. She said she'd look after her."

She felt some of the tension leave her body. Another life spared such an unfair and cruel fate.

When she didn't leave, David glanced around the hood. "I don't like troublemakers and known drug dealers in my home."

"Troublemaker," Rachel scoffed, crossing her arms. "Believe it or not, I don't make the trouble. It finds me."

"Whatever you say."

"Secondly, this is JOYCE'S home, not yours. And drug dealing? No, I-"

"Dealing. Smuggling. Same difference." David stood up, stepping to the side so he could glare at her. "You think this is a game?"

"No, I didn't have a choice. I needed the money."

"What does the D.A.'s princess need drug money for when daddy can pay for everything?"

Clenching her fists, Rachel scowled at him and hissed, "For your information, my father cut my allowance when he heard I was gonna help your 'delinquent' of a step-daughter fix her truck. You know, so it was actually road safe for once." Not a complete lie. "Might wanna update that in the file you have on me."

His shocked expression was a picture she wanted to capture forever.

"H-how? How did… You…" Something clicked, his eyes hardening. "You've been snooping around in my workshop."

"This is the first time I've set foot in here for over six months. You can check your C.C.T.V footage, if you don't believe me. The ones I'm sure Joyce and Chloe don't know about."

He was now on the receiving end of six months of pent up frustration and anger. While he deserved some of her ire, she needed to keep her cool.

"Don't worry though I won't say anything. Not if you get rid of them."

David's jaw tightened. "I know you hate me. Why not just tell them?"

"I don't hate you," Rachel replied calmly, much to his surprise. "That emotion is reserved for very few people…two to be exact" She felt herself tense up at the thought. "We all do crazy shit to protect the ones we love… and make plenty of mistakes. For you, it's security cameras. For me… I betrayed Chloe."

"Frank Bowers."

Rachel nodded, playing with her fingers. "By some miracle, she's forgiven me. And, if you ever want her to trust you, maybe even like you to some extent, Then you need to stay the hell out of her room. She needs somewhere she can feel safe, comfortable. Not a prison or some military camp."

Frowning, David assumed a defensive stance. "She's always safe here."

"But not comfortable." Rachel questioned her physical safety too, but she kept that to herself. For now. "You leave her alone, and I… we'll do our best to be a good influence on her. But understand were not angels ourselves. As a bonus, because I'm feeling generous, I'll persuade her to stop smoking in the house, maybe even quit all together, eventually."

He was quiet for a moment, considering. "Do I have a choice?"

"There's always a choice. You either accept and get to stay, or you refuse and you'll be out on your ass quicker than you arrived." Biting back her anger, she sighed. "Look, I want Chloe to be happy. She wants Joyce to be happy and, for whatever reason, you make her happy. Chloe knows that."

"Does she?" The question was genuinely curious, not dismissive.

Rachel nodded confidently. "Yes. If you need proof that she can and has changed for the better since Max and me returned, you need look no further than the kitchen. Although, you'll probably hear it from Joyce later."

Not waiting for questions, she turned on her heel and left him wondering. It could wait. She was so done with today.

When she re-entered the house, Chloe was nowhere to be seen. Max was still there, asleep on the couch. She hesitated, lingering in the hallway. This was the first time she'd seen Max sleep this deeply since… well, forever. But, was it really okay to leave her down here alone?

Deciding sleep was more important, Rachel headed upstairs. When she reached the top, she turned and entered Chloe's room. She narrowly avoided getting hit in the face with a pillow, managing to lean out of the way.

"Ever heard of knocking?"

"Funny, coming from you, Price."

Chloe chuckled, crossing her legs on the bed. "Hmm, maybe I should booby trap this place. It'll keep David out. Might even maim him. Or worse… let's hope for worse."

Rachel smiled at her bloodlust, flopping down on the bed and sliding across so her head was in Chloe's lap. "No need."

"Rach, there's always a need to maim David."

"True." Rachel closed her eyes as Chloe began playing with her hair. "But we shouldn't see him snooping around here anymore."

"Did you maim him without me?"

"Nope. Just some… friendly coercion."

An eyebrow raised, curious. Then Chloe shook her head. "You know what? I don't even wanna know."

"Suit yourself." Rachel let out a soft sigh, opening her eyes again. "It's good. Being back here. Almost like nothing's changed."

The universe hadn't cut them a break for so long. Maybe they could just pretend, even if it was for today, that everything was fine. No missing girls, no fucked up murderers, no mistakes.

Chloe offered her a soft smile. "Yeah, like nothing's changed."

Smiling to herself, Rachel felt her eyes close once more. It had been so long since she had been this relaxed. Chloe's influence. Knowing they were all safe, not completely alone, helped immensely. Maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay.

Deep down, she knew it wouldn't be, not for a long time yet. Not until those fuckers were dead and buried. And even then, some damage was… irreversible. The piercing scream that echoed through the house proved her concern justified. Snapping awake, she rushed downstairs leaping two or three steps at a time. Skidding around the corner, using the banister to steady herself, she ran into the lounge.

Her heart dropped when she saw Max. Was she getting worse? One thing was for certain, these episodes weren't improving.

Swallowing the fear, Rachel approached her. She was curled up on the floor, cushions and blankets strewn around her. Her entire body shook, eyes clamped shut as she hugged herself. It was a heartbreaking sight to behold, not the first time and probably not the last.

Hesitantly, Rachel crouched down beside her. "Max?"

Not even looking at first, Max clamped her hand around Rachel's right arm. The blonde winced, feeling fingers dig into skin. Each time this happened, it felt more desperate than the last. Eventually, Max lifted her head, pulling the arm closer. She stared at it for some time before letting go, leaving faint red marks from gripping too har when Rachel showed her the tattoo on her left arm.

Rachel didn't say anything. Instead, she gently gathered Max up into a hug. While she still shook, breathing irregular, she was gradually calming down. That was a blessing. Sighing with relief, Rachel gently stroked her hair and hummed. She didn't know if it actually helped, but what else could she do?

As she cradled Max, she heard several sets of footsteps thundering down the stairs. David was first, moving quicker than anyone had ever seen.

"What the hell is going on?"

With Max in no state to speak, Rachel replied for her, "Just bad dreams. That's all."

He frowned, unconvinced. "Sounds like more than that."

"David, not now," Joyce snapped, uncharacteristically short and sharp.

A harrowing expression formed, dark and somber. "Joyce, I've seen some things. Grown men…"

"Not. Now," she repeated, then turning to them. "This… isn't the first time, is it?"

Slowly, Rachel shook her head. Joyce's eyes softened, crouching down beside them. Cautiously, she put an arm around Max.

"Oh, honey. Do you want to talk about it? We're here for you, if you do."

"Talking to us won't do much," David muttered to himself. "She needs a specialist."

Glancing down at Max, Rachel sighed. "One step ahead of you. Well, three technically."

"Man, I'd love to have been a fly on the wall for those," Chloe mumbled to herself, amused by the thought of Max totally owning some pretentious therapist via rewind.

Joyce frowned. "Chloe."

"It's okay. I know what she means." Max waved away her scolding, wiping her face. "It's just… gonna take some time."

"You got plenty of that," Chloe pointed out, unable to stop the slight smirk at her wording.

"I guess so." Somehow, she managed to return the smile. "Sorry for waking you guys up-"

Shaking her head, Joyce cut her off. "Nothing to apologize for."

Rachel shrugged. "We weren't even asleep."

"Still, I don't wanna be a burden..."

"Don't you even try pulling that shit, Max," Chloe hissed, sounding harsher than she intended.

"What she meant to say was, you're not a burden. Far from it," Rachel corrected when she noticed Chloe struggling to rectify her overzealousness.

"If there's anything we can do, just say the word," Joyce added, determined to make her feel at home again.

Before Max could reply, she yawned. "Sleep would be good."

"All I can offer is cuddles." Rachel stood, offering the brunette her hand. "Let's get you upstairs. If you can deal with Chloe stealing all the blankets."

David crossed his arms, mustache twitching, but he didn't say anything.

"Yeah, right." Chloe shifted her weight. "You're the blanket hog."

"Guys, honestly I'm okay down he-"

"Sorry, did that sound like a negotiation, Max." Rachel smirked, pulling the brunette to her feet.

For a second, it looked like Max would protest. Instead, she shook her head and chuckled weakly.

"Is it ever with you?"

* * *

 **Till next week.**

 **And then we have...stuff happening.**

 **Also, as soon as this fic is finished, there will be another that's also good to go, and while you lot slowly devour that we miiight be working on something new...well I say new, I mean a sequel to something.**

 **Have a good week**


	12. Chapter 12

**Wolf Among Sheep**

Rachel stood in Blackwell's parking lot. Sunlight bathed the area, a gentle breeze rustling fallen leaves and trash left behind by lazy students. Birds flittered, chirping softly as they scavenged for abandoned crumbs. Unfortunately, the calming atmosphere wasn't enough to quell her apprehension.

Six months. That was how long it'd been since she last set foot here, aside from their brief check up on Chloe two weeks prior. It made her feel uneasy and tense. Taking a deep breath, she pushed past the anxiety.

At least Max was here.

She glanced over, watching the girl fiddle with her shoulder bag. "Ready?"

Shrugging, Max scanned the grounds, swallowing hard. "Feels… strange being back here."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

"Nobody knows me. Not in this timeline." Max frowned at the thought, sighing dejectedly. "Kate won't…"

"I haven't heard her violin in months. It was pretty much the only thing that didn't suck about living in the dorms." Rachel shook herself out of the melancholic mood, grabbing Max's hand with a smile. "Guess that means I get to introduce you. Again."

Max let Rachel lead her towards the dorm building. "I loved hearing her play in the mornings. Well, when I could hear it above the typical Blackwell drama."

"Oh, how I missed that. Especially Victoria and her minions. They sure knew how to make a girl feel welcome."

"I tried to stay out of her way, but… easier said than done."

"You don't have to tell me." Rachel's face crumpled at the memories of Blackwell's self-appointed Queen Bee. "Speak of the devil…"

As they rounded the corner, she spotted Victoria - messing around with a crazy expensive camera - and her clones lounging on the stairs outside the dorm. Max came to an abrupt halt, eager to avoid confrontation. Not soon enough, though. Noticing her hesitation, Rachel took the lead, approaching the group with her trademark confidence with Max trailing behind.

"Oh, look what the cat dragged in," Victoria sneered as they walked up.

Rachel stood her ground, letting go of Max's hand to crossed her arms. "So original, Vicki. What other repeated witty one-liners will you grace us with?"

She scoffed. "You're not worth anything creative. I guess that blow to the head didn't leave your brain any emptier than usual." Putting a hand on her hip, she offered a cruel smile. "Shame that coma wasn't more permanent. Drivers around here are much too careful."

That comment earned a few laughs from Taylor and Courtney.

Keeping her cool, Rachel brushed off the comment. "Aw, but then I'd never see you guys again. That would be the real shame."

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Right."

"It's refreshing to know the rumors about me this time seem at least partly accurate." Rachel smiled at Victoria, overly friendly. "Not for lack of attempts to twist the truth, I'm sure."

"Sure, call them rumors. If it makes you feel better." Victoria waved away her accusations. "Not my fault you're a sl-"

"No. We are NOT starting that again," Rachel cut in, glaring at her.

Victoria paused, raising an eyebrow at the sudden burst of hostility. Clearly deciding it wasn't worth fighting over now, she dropped it. For now.

"I assume Kari Price knows you're back."

"Chloe," Rachel corrected sharply. "And yes. She's my girlfriend, in case you forgot."

With a dismissive huff, Victoria crossed her arms. "Good. You can tell her asshole stepfather I want my phone back. You know, after he stole it. Not my fault Kate got herself wasted and I wanted proof."

"Kate wasn't wasted."

All eyes turned to Max, who had been quietly hiding behind Rachel until now.

Victoria looked her up and down, eyes narrowing. "And who the fuck are you supposed to be?"

Pulling her forward, Rachel introduced them. "This is Max Caulfield. It's her first day, so play nice."

Taylor shook her head. "Perfect, another one of your mindless groupie."

Rachel grinned, dancing across the fine line between mischievous and evil. "At least I don't have to pay to keep mine loyal. At what price, I wonder." Before Victoria could protest, she diverted the conversation back. "Anyway, I have it on good authority that Kate wasn't drunk."

"Oh, well why didn't you say so?" Courtney asked sarcastically. "You would know better than anyone, you know because you've not been here."

"People can change a lot in six months. Especially our poor little Katie." Victoria sighed, acting as if she cared.

"Your pretentious ass is living proof they don't." Done playing around, Rachel adopted a serious expression. "You know what GHB is, right?"

Taylor stiffened. "That shit's not even funny."

"Do you see me laughing?"

Courtney shook her head in disbelief. "There's no way anything like that gets into a Vortex party."

"Right, just alcohol, weed and half a dozen other illegal drugs."

Clearly frustrated, Victoria snarled back, "Bullshit. Even if it was true, which it isn't, you can't prove it."

"Oh, I can't, but David can. Urine test within twenty-four hours. He might be an asshole, but he's efficient."

"But, who would…? Oh god…" Courtney turned pale, eyes widening.

"Finally sinking in, huh. There's a more important question you should be asking, though." Rachel's eyes flicked over to Victoria. "Who invited Kate to the party?"

"Dana invited her, not me."

"And I wonder who suggested it to Dana, hmm."

Not giving her an inch, Rachel pushed past a stunned Victoria, dragging Max with her into the girls' dorm.

"I've never seen anyone leave her speechless before. Well, I did. Once…" Max frowned at the memory.

"Victoria doesn't like being upstaged."

"You do have a way of attracting attention." When Rachel raised an eyebrow, curious, Max stuttered slightly. "I mean… you stand out. N-not in a bad way."

I'd hope so, Caulfield." Chuckling to herself, Rachel led them up the stairs. "And... I don't mind standing out to certain people. In fact, I try my best to."

When they reached the double doors at the top, she turned around and winked before pushing through. Exhaling deeply, Max hesitantly followed after. Stopping outside room 222, she lifted a shaking hand, ready to knock. With one final glance from Rachel, who nodded encouragingly, she tapped her knuckles against the door.

"One minute!"

After a few thuds and crashes, there was silence. Muffled footsteps, then the door creaked open. Kate emerged, her usually pristine bun loose, stray strands of hair defying gravity. When she saw Rachel, her eyes widened and jaw dropped.

"Rachel?"

"The one and only." She offered a melodramatically low bow. "Miss me?"

"I… yes, of course. I just… didn't expect to see you back at Blackwell yet."

"I am, what the doctors would call, a medical mystery." When she saw Kate's eyes gravitate towards Max, she stepped to the side. "This is my friend, Max. Our new classmate."

Pushing past the shock, Kate offered a warm smile. "Hi, Max. I'm Kate." She glanced back into her room, sighed, then turned back to them. "My room looks like a bomb site at the moment, but you're welcome to come in for some tea."

"Your room a mess?" Max said, bypassing thought. "I mean… you just seem like the type who likes to keep organized, you know."

Not paying much mind to her blunder, Kate stepped aside to let them in. "Under normal circumstances, yes. But… I've had an escapee."

"Alice causing trouble again?" Rachel asked as she entered the room.

"Something like that." Kate quickly closed the door behind them and started preparing the tea. "Feel free to sit wherever you like."

Just as Max was about to sit on the couch, something fuzzy shot out from underneath. It made her jump, almost falling onto her ass on the floor. With almost inhuman speed, Rachel lunged and lifted the ball of fluff up.

"Do I get a prize?"

Kate relaxed, taking Alice from her and putting the rabbit back in the cage. "Yes, whatever you want. Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. I will hold you to that promise." She winked, then sat down on the couch, patting the space beside her. "In your own time, Max."

Looking surprised at Rachel's insane reflexes, Max hesitantly sat down beside her. Kate pulled up her desk chair and poured out three cups of steaming tea. Taking a sip, sinking into her chair, she sighed.

"I really needed that." Resting the cup on her legs, she glanced between Rachel and Max. "So, when did you get discharged?"

"A week or so ago. I shouldn't even be back now, but… guess I missed Blackwell too much."

"More like Blackwell missed you." Kate smiled gently. "Well, certain people."

"Everyone but Victoria." Rachel gave a small shrug. While not technically true, it was close enough. "Anyway, enough about me. How have you been?"

Kate's smile wavered. "Well… everything was going well, until recently."

"The party," Max muttered under her breath, regretting it instantly.

"Huh, guess word travels fast." Kate's shoulders slumped. "I should never have gone. I don't even know why I did. If David hadn't been there… sorry, I didn't mean to drag the mood down."

"Don't worry about it." Rachel waved away her apology. "I'm just glad to see you're okay."

"Hey, that's my line." Eager to change the subject, she turned to Max. "How do you know Rachel?"

"Oh, uh… through Chloe." She took a sip of tea, stalling for time. "We were childhood best friends. I moved away to Seattle when I was thirteen."

"And you came back to Arcadia?" Kate sounded surprised, she wouldn't be the first to.

"Yeah. It just… wasn't for me. The hustle and bustle."

"So not for Chloe then?"

"I…" Max paused, shifting uncomfortably. "She, uh, helped me make the decision."

"I bet she was happy seeing you again."

Noticing Max struggle to reply, Rachel stepped in the save her. "Chloe Price doesn't do happy. Not punk rock enough."

Kate tilted her head to the side. "Well, she seemed happy when you guys are hanging out."

"Doesn't everyone?" Rachel asked with a smirk, then glanced over at Max. "But to answer your question, she was happy. Not that Max would know, as she's been asleep most of the weekend."

"Traveling is tiring."

"Not to mention time-consuming."

"Shame you never met William. He would've loved that one." Max shook her head at the thinly veiled reference, then clarified for Kate's benefit. "Uh, Chloe's dad. Not around anymore."

"Yeah, I heard about that. What was he like, if you don't mind me asking?"

Rachel smiled. "Two years we've known each other and you finally ask."

"He was…" Max frowned before melancholy took over, "...like a second dad to me. Kind-hearted, funny and talented. He was the reason I started photography, and mostly to blame for my bad puns."

"Well, I look forward to hearing some."

"Don't encourage her," Rachel chuckled.

"I'm not that bad," Max protested. "Joyce never complains."

"She doesn't usually hear them as you're busy shoveling down her pancakes and waffles."

"Hmm, maybe. Oh, speaking of, we can grab some breakfast at the Two Whales tomorrow seeing as English class is canceled."

"It is?" Kate frowned, looking very confused. "I didn't hear anything about that."

Before Max could even think about rewinding, Rachel took charge of the conversation. "Max, being late on your first day won't make a good impression."

Kate checked her phone, standing. "I'd like to avoid being late, too."

Finishing up their tea, they left the dorm together. On the way out, Rachel saw Victoria sitting on a nearby bench. Not alone. She was talking to someone wearing a painfully familiar red jacket. Feeling Max's hand in her own and squeezing tightly, she took a deep breath. It took every ounce of self-control to stop herself from marching over there to beat the shit out of the jacket's owner.

Nathan Prescott.

"How many times have I punched the crap out of him?" Rachel muttered, only loud enough for Max and Kate to hear.

"None… yet."

"Why would you want to do that?" Kate asked, alarmed by the unexpected display of hostility.

"Don't worry about it," Max offered her a reassuring smile before turning back to Rachel. "Good to go?"

"Always."

With confident strides, Rachel led the other two girls across campus. When she made eye contact with Victoria, the pixie blonde shifted uncomfortably. A few seconds later, Nathan turned to follow her gaze. His eyes widened, all color draining from his face.

The reaction gave her an oddly satisfying feeling.

"His face is worth a thousand pictures."

"Or just the one." Max smiled, tapping her shoulder bag with a knowing smile.

Confused, Kate looked at them. "You guys talk really weird."

After fifth period, Rachel lingered outside the math classroom waiting for Max and Kate. Her return to Blackwell had been underwhelming to say the least. Not that she was complaining. A handful of friends were surprised and relieved to see her again but nobody else seemed to care.

Except for Nathan. Like he'd seen a ghost… she supposed he had, in a way.

Their next hurdle was photography class. The thought of spending five seconds, let alone ninety minutes, with that asshole made Rachel feel sick to her stomach. Angry, too. Her eyes met Max's, silent understanding.

Clearly mistaking Max's tension for first day nerves, Kate offered her an encouraging smile. "Mr. Jefferson is a little… pretentious, but he's a good teacher. And it seems like he genuinely cares about his students."

'If only you knew...' Rachel desperately wished she could tell Kate what Jefferson was capable of.

As they approached the classroom, Victoria rushed past them, bumping Rachel into Kate and knocking her books onto the floor.

"That was… Victoria can be mean, but she's not usually that direct with her actions…" Kate muttered to herself as she picked up the books.

"Maybe she has something on her mind," Rachel replied, watching Victoria join Taylor and Courtney, all of them giving her a death glare.

Max stopped at the door, reluctant to enter the classroom. Almost as if there was an invisible barrier in her path. When Rachel noticed, she stopped too. Kate tilted her head curiously, hesitantly walking over to her seat after Rachel prompted her.

"He's not here, Max. Not yet. We just have to get through these last few classes with him."

"Easier said than done…" Max wispered, tensing up.

She didn't explain further, but Rachel sensed there was something she was hiding. A common suspicion by now. They moved over to where Kate sat, getting settled. Seconds ticked by, tensions rising as they waited for class to start. Eventually, the door opened. Mark Jefferson strode in, stopping at the front of the room to greet them.

"Afternoon, everyone." He headed over to his desk, leaning against it. "I can't express how great it is seeing so many young, talented faces sat before me. All eager to learn."

Max's hands balled up into fists, knuckles white as she doodled to distract herself.

"I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say I'm thrilled to welcome back one of Blackwell's brightest stars. Rachel Amber."

The way he said her name made her skin crawl.

"She, however, is not the only new addition today. Maxine Caulfield joins us from the hustle and bustle of Seattle."

Rachel felt a cold shiver run down her spine as Max's pencil lead snapped on her sketchbook. This was going to be a long lesson...

In his usual confident, borderline egotistical manner, Mark Jefferson continued his lecture. "Alfred Hitchcock famously called film, 'Little pieces of time' but he could be talking about photography as he likely was."

Watching the minutes slowly tick by, Rachel tapped her foot. For the most part, Jefferson seemed to ignore their table. Although, she did catch a few passing glances. As tempting as it was to throw everything and anything she had to hand at him, she resisted.

Only three days left.

"Now, can you give me an example of a photographer who perfectly captured the human condition in black and white?"

His eyes scanned the classroom, expectant. Everyone looked down, pretending to make notes or feign not hearing the question.

Kate raised her hand, answering when he turned his attention to her. "Diane Arbus."

"Very good, Kate. Why Arbus?"

While she gave the answer, Rachel glanced over at Victoria and her entourage. The Queen Bee looked distracted, unlike her usual over-exaggerated kiss ass act.

'Maybe Victoria actually listened to me, for a change.'

The end of day bell sounded, cutting Jefferson's lecture short. Everyone began packing up as he finished off.

"And guys don't forget, the deadline to submit a photo in the 'Everyday Heroes' contest. I'll fly out with the winner to San Francisco where you'll be feted by the art world. It's great exposure and it can kick start a career in photography. So Stella and Alyssa, get it together. Taylor, don't hide, I'm still waiting on your entry to. And Rachel, I need to talk to you before you leave."

Groaning internally, Rachel threw everything into her bag. Before she even moved, Max was practically out of the door, waving goodbye to Kate as she went. Unfortunately for Rachel, she wasn't quick enough to avoid Jefferson.

"Don't worry, this won't take long. And you're not in trouble," he reassured, making it impossible to refuse without a good reason.

Rachel sighed, passing a helpless glance at Max as she walked over to his desk. She slipped into her old Blackwell persona surprisingly quickly. A hard habit to break.

"Of course. What did you want to talk about?"

He smiled at her. "I just wanted to let you know that I'll be free this evening to help you with a photo for the Everyday Heroes contest. It would be a shame if you didn't enter."

"Oh, I… thank you, but I don't think I'll enter. I'm better in front of the camera than behind it."

"Don't sell yourself short," he encouraged. "I've seen your work. You definitely stand a good chance. I know things have been… hectic for you recently, but that shouldn't stop you from participating. So, what do you say?"

"Rachel."

They both turned, spotting Max lingering in the doorway. "Don't forget about Miss Grant's catch up session tonight. It could take a while."

Unfazed, he pressed on, "Not a problem. I can make time Wedne-"

"Wednesday is Math study group," Max interrupted firmly.

Looking a little suspicious now, he crossed his arms. "I'm sure if I spoke to Miss Grant, or any other teacher for that matter, they would understand that this contest is very important to your future, Rachel."

Before she could reply, she heard Max groan. Both she and Jefferson looked at her, alarmed when they noticed blood gushing from her nose. Bypassing thought, Rachel rushed over to her.

"Are you okay, Max?" Jefferson asked, understandably confused.

"Yeah, I just... Need some air."

"Come on, let's get you back to the dorm." Not looking back, Rachel led them both out of the classroom towards their freedom. "I'm guessing that wasn't a generic nosebleed."

"Nope. That asshole is persistent…" Max wiped the blood from under her nose on her sleeve. "But, he's run out of time. Tomorrow, he'll help Victoria with her project. At least, I think."

"Sounds like the perfect opportunity for a late night adventure."

"Of course you'd be hyped for that…"

"And don't even think about leaving me behind. You said you wouldn't let me out of your sight, Remember?" Rachel reminded her.

She shook her head, sighing at her past self's words being used against her. "I did say that, didn't I?"

* * *

And so the week starts again, till next week.


	13. Chapter 13

**Deja Vu... Almost**

* * *

 **Here's the next one, enjoy**

* * *

The next morning, Rachel woke with a start. It took her a few seconds to realize where she was. Chloe's room, on the floor. Sunlight streamed through the faded, tattered American flag as the world outside stirred from its slumber. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Rachel got to her feet. So much for sharing the bed. She winced, pretty sure there would be a bruise on her thigh later.

Chloe and Max were still passed out, the latter muttering in her sleep, tossing and turning. Nothing unusual, unfortunately. Her girlfriend and… friend. She frowned at the wording. It was hard to define her relationship with Max. Complex. Same with Chloe, when she thought about it. Nothing was ever simple.

With no space to get back in bed, not that she would be able to sleep after falling out anyway, Rachel succumbed to her rude awakening. Stretching and cautiously testing the weight on her injured leg, she moved over to the door as quietly as possible. Not easy when Chloe's room was a minefield of junk.

Sneaking downstairs, she went to the kitchen and set about preparing the coffee pot for Max and Chloe when they woke up. Tapping her fingernails on the countertop, she waited for the pot to come to the boil. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the garage door. There was unfinished business to attend to, much easier without David around.

Cautiously, she entered his man cave, breathing a sigh of relief upon seeing his car gone. The perfect time to find Victoria's phone. Curious to see if her warning was headed, she approached the cupboard that used to house his hardcore surveillance system. Glad to see the intrusive equipment gone, she spotted the phone and swiped it.

Mission accomplished, she turned to leave. Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted something interesting. A bundle of keys. Smiling, an idea formed. She waltzed over to the workbench, unhooking a few she slid them into her pocket for later. Mischief managed, she left the garage.

As she finished making coffee, she heard the pitter patter of feet behind her. Turning with mugs in hand, she found Max sitting at the table huddled in a gray hoodie.

"Before you ask, yes. I slept well."

"Cheater." Rachel stuck out her tongue.

"Hardly," Max scoffed. "You're just too predictable."

Placing the coffee mugs down, she put a hand on her hip. "Me? Predictable? How dare you, Caulfield?"

"You literally ask me the same question every morning. Without fail. You're starting to sound like Joyce."

"Or just someone who cares enough about you to ask," Rachel corrected defiantly, pushing one of the cups towards her as she sat down. "Is Chloe up?"

Taking a sip of her coffee, Max nodded. "I heard her crawling out of bed as I left the bathroom."

"Well, at least you got to wake up on your own this morning."

"Not exactly…" Max frowned. "You didn't?"

Rachel gingerly tapped her leg. "The oncoming bruise on my thigh proves that much. Chloe does love to thrash, even in her sleep."

"I guess. Has Chloe always been so, uh… gropey when she's asleep?"

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Can't say I've kept track, to be honest. It usually escalates pretty quickly."

"Oh," Max blushed. "I guess she thought…"

"Relax, I'm teasing. Although, I'd be curious to hear what she..." Before Rachel could finish her question, Chloe came bounding into the dining room about a subtle as usual.

"Morning, dorks."

They both turned as Chloe entered the kitchen.

"Morning," Rachel greeted cheerfully, pointing to the half-full pot in the kitchen. "Coffee's on the side."

Grabbing a coffee, Chloe gave her a kiss. "How'd you sleep?"

Rach let out a small moan as she returned the kiss. "I slept well. Would've preferred Max's wake up call, though."

"Oh?"

"Well apparently You-"

"Kicked Rachel out of bed. She's got a bruise," Max interrupted quickly.

Chloe stopped drinking, guilt flickering in her eyes. "I did?"

Pointing to her thigh, Rachel gave Max a curious glance. She looked flustered, refusing to make eye contact. Instead, her eyes were fixed on the backyard. The angle gave Rachel a glimpse of the spot just behind Max's right ear. Her heart sank when she saw a single thin black line.

She had rewound something...

Following her finger, Chloe narrowed her eyes. "I don't see a bruise."

Dropping her thoughts about Max for now, Rachel bounced back to her usual bubbly self. "Well, that's because I have jeans on, silly."

"Soon change that," Chloe whispered seductively.

"Right here right now, huh?"

"I am sat right here, guys." Max shuffled uncomfortably.

Getting up from her seat, Rachel threw her arms around the flustered brunette. "Relax. It's too early for that… and I'm hungry."

"Good luck with that." Chloe shook her head, glancing forlornly at the fridge. "Mom's not done the groceries this week."

"Two Whales it is then."

"Talk about deja vu…" Max muttered to herself.

"Nope." Rachel lightly booped her nose. "It'll be way better this time. You know, because I'm here."

Stepping out of Chloe's truck, the three of them stepped inside the Two Whales. Joyce waved at them before heading out back to the kitchen. Rachel and Chloe said hi to Trevor and Justin on the way to their chosen booth, introducing Max along the way. For a change, the two boys were completely at peace. Not an argument in sight.

Max smiled wistfully as they sat down, piquing Rachel's interest. "So, what's amused you, Caulfield?"

"Nothing, really. Just… remembering. Last time I was here, I totally schooled Chloe's ass. Guessing everything in her pockets to prove I could… well, you know." She wiggled her fingers.

"Rewi- ow!" Chloe stopped mid-word as Rachel's elbow connected with her rib, just in time.

Joyce approached their table, armed with a coffee pot. "What a pleasant surprise. Hope you three aren't up to trouble."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "I resent the implications of that statement, mother."

"Yes, because Chloe Price never goes looking for trouble." Max smiled, shaking her head.

"Hey, trouble finds me ."

Knowing that was only part of the truth, Rachel chuckled. "The only thing we want to find right now is your world famous breakfast, Joyce."

"Flatterer." Joyce smiled at the compliment. "So, what do you girls want to chow down on?"

Tilting her head to the side, Max glanced at the menu. "As much as I love your Belgian waffles, I think I'll have pancakes this time."

"Same here," Rachel added.

"Eggs and bacon," Chloe replied, "with extra bacon."

"Is that supposed to go on the college fund tab?" Joyce asked wryly as she poured out coffee.

"My treat," Rachel and Max said in unison.

"Oh no, Max. I'm paying this time." Rachel stood her ground, staring the younger girl down.

Not wanting to argue, Max held up her hands. "Okay, I'll get next time."

Orders taken, Joyce headed back to the kitchen.

A mischievous grin tugging at her lips, Chloe turned to Max. "Soooo, let's see how good your memory is, Caulfield. What's in my pockets? And no cheating."

"Don't need to." Max smirked, confidently repeating the item list from before. "Keychain with a panda, seven cigarettes, a parking ticket for September 12, 2013 at 10:34 A.M and 86 cents."

"Okay, let's see if you got it right." Chloe emptied her pockets out onto the table, jaw-dropping at the apparent accuracy. "You sure you didn't cheat?"

"A year ago, yes. Not this time…" Max's sentence trailed off as Chloe opened the cigarette packet. Only one. "No, that can't be right. There were definitely seven last time."

Rachel leaned back in the booth chair, shaking her head. "Oh, Max. You're forgetting something. Things aren't the same as last time, not exactly. Because I'm here, I've kinda helped Chloe through them"

Frowning, Max slowly nodded. "Wonder what else has changed."

"Take that crap off the table, Chloe."

"Sure, Mom." Chloe jammed everything back in her pocket as her mom approached the table.

Once clear, Joyce put down their plates. "Enjoy."

"Thanks, Joyce. We will." Rachel smiled, pulling a plate towards her and taking a bite. "Mmm, amazing as always."

The three of them ate in almost silence until Joyce was out of earshot.

"What else did you do last time?" Chloe asked between bites.

"Predicted the future. Trucker drops his mug, cop gets a call, Joyce breaks up a fight between Justin and Trevor, a cockroach messes up the jukebox," Max recalled.

They waited to see if history would repeat itself. This time around, the mug still fell but remained intact. As before the cop was left behind, eating his breakfast. Justin and Trevor stayed argument free. All that stayed the same with the cockroach disrupting the jukebox.

"Different song," Max explained. "I guess everything really is a little different, huh."

"Did you think it'd all be the same?" Rachel asked. Surely she would've expected small changes like this.

"No. I'm just surprised by what's changing. Small things I didn't think about." Max went quiet for a moment, deep in thought. "I… want to go to the junkyard."

Rachel looked over at Chloe, their eyes meeting. They didn't have to say a single word, silent agreement in their joint worry for Max. Would she really be able to face the junkyard after everything that happened?

"I dunno, Max…" Chloe frowned.

"It's not really about wanting, it's needing to go," Max corrected herself. "You guys don't have to come with me."

"We can't let you go alone," Rachel turned to her girlfriend, nudging her. "Right, Chloe?"

Reluctant, Chloe shrugged. "Yeah."

"Look I'll be fine. Besides, there are worse places than the junkyard." Max offered them a reassuring smile.

Finishing off her breakfast, Rachel settled their bill, somehow managing to persuade Joyce to accept a tip. An impossible task at the best of times. They piled into Chloe's truck, heading towards the junkyard. On the way, Max dropped Kate a quick call. With what had happened the first time around, nobody could blame her.

"Hi, Kate." A slight pause. "Yeah, I'm doing good. Are you?" The tension in her shoulders faded away. "That's so awesome to hear. I'm glad Dana's got your back." Max smiled. "I'll bet. And yes, tea sounds awesome, I'll have to let you know."

The second the truck rolled to a stop, Max jumped out of it marching with purpose to the right. Watching her, Chloe shrugged as she hoisted herself on the truck hood. Taking the last cigarette out of the packet from her pocket, she lit it up. Inhaling, then exhaling deeply, she tapped the space beside her.

"You wouldn't make a girl smoke alone, would you?"

When Chloe offered the cigarette, Rachel jumped up to join her. "Only a monster would."

They smoked in silence for a while, waiting around for Max.

"You know, just when I think I've got her figured out, she does some weird shit."

Handing the cigarette back, Rachel smiled. "She's not the only one."

Chloe lightly bumped her shoulder. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"If you want, Price." Hazel eyes scanned the area, from the grounded boat across to the abandoned school bus. "I still remember the first day we came here together. Like it was yesterday."

"It feels like a lifetime ago."

"In a way, it was. We're different people now. For better or worse. So is Max."

"Why'd you think Max wanted to come here?" Chloe asked, focusing on her childhood best friend wandering around aimlessly at the edge of the junkyard.

"To confirm… something." Rachel paused, then shrugged. "That would be my guess. Based on how she reacted earlier to small unexpected changes."

"But what?"

"That I don't know. Probably has something to do with me, though. Since…" Rachel glanced over to the left, an involuntary shiver running down her spine. "I was here."

Chloe's face crumpled up at the thought. "She probably won't tell us, even if we asked."

"You never know."

In the distance, Rachel spotted Max turn around and walk back towards them. Throwing the cigarette stub on the ground, she slid off the hood.

"Found what you were looking for, Detective Caulfield?"

"No, but that was the point," Max replied, her answer the epitome of cryptic.

Shaking her head, Chloe pushed off the truck. "You can start making sense any time now."

Surprisingly relaxed, more than she had been in days, Max explained, "When I first came to Arcadia, I kept seeing this… doe, spirit… spirit doe. Just here, in the junkyard. I even tried to take a picture of it once. Not that it showed up. And I kept seeing it, until…" Blue eyes flickered to Rachel. "...we found you."

"If I didn't know you could rewind time, I'd think you were crazy… or high, or both," Chloe muttered.

"Crazy, maybe, but high's more your thing."

"Might be more my thing, but you didn't say it WASN'T your thing."

"I may have… dabbled, before the hard reset."

Chloe raised an eyebrow, surprised and curious. "Well, I know what we're doing later."

"What we always do." Rachel gently diverted "So, if this doe isn't here…"

"Another small change." Max kicked up dirt as she swung her foot. "One that actually helps put my mind at ease. Well, kind of. It's like the universe approves, for a change. Acknowledges that I've meddled and doesn't punish me for it. Well… yet." Max let out a sigh, "Anyway, we'd better head back. I don't really want to stay here longer than I need to… and being late on my second day isn't on my to-do list."

"Not that it matters what our rapport is with Jefferfuck," Rachel muttered under her breath

"With him, no. But I'm not gonna ruin my so far perfect attendance record." Max took the lead, walking back to the truck.

Chloe scoffed loudly. "God, you sound like such a fucking nerd."

"Hey, if I have a second chance at this, I'm going to do it right." Max stopped by the truck, expression determined. " All of it."

Rachel smiled, opening the passenger door. "Cheating the system, I like it."

"Well, when you put it that way, it sounds cooler," Chloe conceded.

"You mean more criminal," Max corrected with a slight smile

Chloe shrugged, starting up the engine. "Same difference."

The truck pulled up outside Blackwell. Waving Chloe off, Rachel linked arms with Max and marched them towards the girls' dorm in search of Kate.

"Sure you don't want to ditch?" Rachel asked, sensing Max's hesitation.

"Only two more days," she replied, shaking her head. "Sometimes, I wish I could speed time up."

"But then you'd miss the fun parts." Rachel grinned, tilting her head towards the trees. "Like Kate."

"Could always rewind," Max reminded her as they changed course.

"And get stuck in an endless loop. Like Groundhog Day."

"Touche."

"Hey, guys!" Kate greeted, getting to her feet to give them a hug.

Max smiled, accepting the hug. "Hey, Kate. Nice to see you outside."

"Why wouldn't I be? It's a lovely day."

"I, uh…"

"Mind if I take a look?" Rachel tapped the back of Kate's notepad, tucked under her arm.

"Oh, yes. Of course." She smiled handing over the pad. "It's nothing special. Just some caricature cartoons."

Tilting her head, Rachel examined the cartoonish figures. Some of them looked familiar, the bottom right most of all. A mischievous grin tugged at her lips, pointing at it.

"Oh, look. It's you, Max."

"Wha…?" Max squeaked, looking at the picture. "You know, that's pretty cute. I like it."

"I'm glad you do." Kate beamed, taking the pad back. "Even if it isn't quite finished yet."

"You know, you'd better draw me too." Rachel crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course! If that's okay."

Rachel winked at her. "It's expected."

Kate slung her bag over her shoulder, the three of them walking towards the main building. Once inside, they ducked and dodged along the corridor. Out of the corner of her eye, Rachel spotted Victoria and her entourage heading into the girls' bathroom. She debated following them to return the Queen Bee's phone. No, she could wait.

As they approached the photography classroom, Rachel heard two voices. She stopped in her tracks, motioning for Max and Kate to do the same.

"You need to calm down." That was Jefferson. No doubt about it.

"Do not tell me what to do. You can't see it…" Nathan, sounding thoroughly shaken.

"It's all in your head."

"No, it's not." She could hear the gradually increasing frustration in his voice.

" Enough ." The word was quiet, but somehow that made it more intimidating. "We are not going to discuss this here."

Muttering to himself, Nathan stomped his way through the crowded corridor.

"I wonder what that was all about," Kate muttered as she followed Max and Rachel into the classroom.

Rachel shrugged, glancing over at Max as they took their seats. Jefferson entered a few moments after, scanning the room. His eyes lingered on her, sending a shiver down her spine. Ignoring it, she buried her head in her textbook.

"Afternoon, class. As you know, we're rapidly approaching the Everyday Heroes Contest deadline."

Before he could continue, Victoria and Taylor burst into the room. The Queen Bee looked even more preoccupied than yesterday.

"Glad you could take the time out of your busy schedule to join us, Miss Chase and Miss-"

"Sorry we're late. Girl trouble," Taylor explained as they took their seats.

Jefferson raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. He opened his mouth, then closed it shaking his head. Before he could speak again, he sighed frustratedly as he pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket.

"Please re-read chapter twelve, then discuss your thoughts in small groups."

Not waiting for a reply, he walked out of the classroom into the hallway. Rachel frowned, catching small snippets of his conversation. Nothing to help her piece the conversation together but enough to make her worried. She caught Max's eye, silent agreement that they should be concerned.

Eventually, he returned to the classroom. "Due to some technical difficulties regarding the contest, I have to leave. Use today's class to prep yourself for that and catch up on homework."

With that, he left the classroom.

Rachel raised an eyebrow as his footsteps faded down the hallway. She shared a knowing glance with Max. That phone call could only be about one thing. Taking this as their cue to escape, everyone packed up. Remembering she had Victoria's phone, She approached the queen bee's table.

"What do you want?" Taylor hissed defensively.

"To talk. To Victoria."

"You've said enough to her already."

"Really?" She held up Victoria's phone, smiling. "Then I guess she doesn't want this back."

Clearly questioning if this was a trick, eyes narrowed. "Why are you doing this?"

"First off, David had no right to take this." She shrugged, putting the phone on the table and sliding it across. "And I'm tired of fighting over stupid crap that, in the long term wont matter. Sure, we might never be friends, but there's nothing saying we have to be enemies. Same goes for Max and Kate."

Victoria went to take the phone, frowning when Rachel didn't let go.

"You have to delete it."

Sighing, Victoria tapped the screen a few times, deleting the Vortex party video. "There. Happy?"

"Very."

Rachel let the phone go, standing up straight. Taylor gave her a stern death glare as she walked back over to Kate and Max.

"Is everything okay?" Kate asked, eyes filled with concern.

"I think so, yeah." Rachel smiled, joining them in their doodling.

That wasn't technically true. It wouldn't be okay until Jefferson was dealt with. Not long now...

Darkness had fallen. The perfect time for mischief and mayhem. If Rachel had her way, that would definitely be the way this ended. First, they had to check on Victoria. They weren't the only ones sneaking around tonight. The three of them had taken up position behind one of Mr. Jefferson's photography billboards on campus.

"I could've done this alone," Max whispered to her and Chloe.

"You've done enough alone, Max." A sly smirk tugged at Chloe's lips. "And I wouldn't miss sneaking around campus like a ninja. Or a spy. Ninja spy."

Max shook her head at Chloe's eagerness to break rules. "Better than a scary punk ghost, I guess."

"Now, that's an idea."

Rachel chuckled softly. "Save it for Halloween, Price."

"Shh, here they come." Max put a finger to her lips.

Rachel's jaw dropped as Victoria tried and failed to bribe her way to San Francisco. "After all the shit she gave me…"

"God, I want to slap her so bad," Chloe muttered angrily as they watched Jefferson shut down her advances and walk away.

"She'll get a big reality check slap soon enough. Worse than anything you can do…" Rachel sighed as the three of them followed Victoria as she marched back towards the girls dorm building.

After watching Victoria disappear into the girls dorm, Max slumped against a nearby tree. "Two days of drama and then trouble free."

"What about mischief?" Rachel asked with a coy smirk, watching Max frown as she pulled out the Blackwell pool key from her pocket.

Chloe squinted at the key then whistled, impressed. "When did you swipe that?"

"No." Max shook her head, crossing her arms. "We are not doing that."

"Oh, I see. Only allowed to swim after blowing up shit," Rachel smirked.

"It's not fair if only you get to remember the fun stuff, Maxi-Pad," Chloe shot back as her and Rachel headed towards the pool building.

"Ugh I hate that name." Max's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine. But, when I say we leave, we leave. "

"We'll see about that, Caulfield." Rachel winked at her playfully.

"Booyah! Midnight swim." Chloe grinned.

Max rolled her eyes but also allowed herself to smile at Chloe's enthusiasm.

Entering the Otters layer they strolled through the girls' locker room and out into the main pool area. Rachel kneeled down by the pool, dipping her hand in the water. Not freezing cold, good start. She glanced over her shoulder.

"Anyone want to hit the light switch?"

"I got it." Max assured as she disappeared into the poolside office.

While she was doing that, Rachel stipped down to her underwear and took a step towards the pool. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Chloe staring at her. Smirking, she reached up and unclasped her bra. She let it fall to the floor before diving in head first.

When she resurfaced, Chloe was still staring, cheeks a soft shade of pink. "Don't just stand there like a zombie, Price."

"Uh, yeah, right."

Shaking her head vigorously, she followed Rachel's lead, stripping off and jumping in. As Chloe emerged, the pool lights flickered on.

"Welcome to my den," Rachel whispered as she wrapped herself around her girlfriend.

She pressed her lips against the punk's, gentle shocks shooting through her body.

"Thanks for waiting." Max appeared again from the office.

"You took too long. Get your boney white ass in here." Chloe smirked

Part way through undressing, Max paused. Rachel followed her eyes, chuckling at her sudden hesitance.

"It's just a bra, Max. It won't bite."

"I, uh…" She hugged herself, self-conscious.

"Relax, I've seen it all before." Rachel waved away her stuttered reply.

"When?" Max and Chloe asked simultaneously, equally confused.

"No need to be jealous, Price." Rachel offered a small smile at her reaction. "Stuck in a hotel room that size, it'll happen eventually. Not intentionally. Guess Max thought I was asleep."

"Oh..." Max uttered.

"If it's that big a deal, take a look." Rachel sprawled her arms out, hiding nothing. "Now we're even." Max was clearly flustered, trying unsuccessfully to look anywhere else. "And no rewinding, unless you don't like what you see."

"Just remember, she's mine." Chloe came up behind Rachel, cupping her breasts and giving one a light pinch, making her yelp.

"You're so going to regret that, Price," Rachel growled playfully.

She tackled the punk, attempting to nip her exposed chest in retaliation. That earned her several shrieks in response. Their play fight was suddenly interrupted by a large splash. Rachel wiped the water from her eyes, turning to see Max. A mischievous smile tugged at her lips when she noticed the pile of clothes scattered at the poolside. Before she could make any teasing comment, she caught Chloe mid-struggle trying not to stare. Or at least, trying not to make it obvious. Chuckling, Rachel took advantage at her moment of distraction and splashed Chloe right in the face.

"Hey!"

"Maybe you should pay more attention." She winked, playfully splashing again. "More on some things, less on others."

Chloe dodged out of the way, sending a tidal wave her direction in retaliation. Cackling now, Rachel ducked under the water. Spotting her target, she went to drag Max under, only to grab onto empty water.

Re-surfacing, she pouted. "No fair, Max."

"You guys fight dirty," Max pointed out. "Only fair I get to."

"There's a big difference between fighting dirty and making it impossible ."

Max rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You'd abuse the rewind to hell. Both of you would."

Instead of replying, Rachel and Chloe exchanged a single glance. No words needed. Somehow, they would catch Max by surprise. Before either of them could start silently and telepathically formulating a plan, a skill that even scared Joyce sometimes, Max began swimming to the poolside.

"We have to go. Now."

Rachel moved around to block her, Chloe coming up behind. "Nice try, Max. You're not getting away that easily."

Max refused to look at either of them, glancing over at the locker room door. "I'm serious. We'll get caught. We already have."

Hazel eyes narrowed. Rachel suspected Max wasn't being completely truthful. She and Chloe had snuck out enough times to know every security guards' schedule, almost down to the exact second. They should have another ten minutes at least. More likely, they'd pushed her too far. An endless loop of attempts to avoid embarrassment.

"Fine. Because I'm a sucker for pretty girls, I believe you. Even when nobody else would."

A grin appeared as she watched Max get out of the pool as quickly as possible, trying to escape further embarrassment.

Rachel considered that a win.

After successfully fleeing Blackwell, Chloe pulled into the beachside parking lot. They climbed the cliff path, Max trailing behind. Chloe reached the top first, closely followed by Rachel. They were met with a clear night sky, peppered with twinkling stars, a bright moon and gentle salt breeze.

"Come on, slowpoke!" Chloe waved Max over as she sat down on the bench, then began rummaging through her pockets.

"She's probably too tired from all the pool cheating," Rachel suggested as Max approached them.

"I didn't…" she sighed deeply. "It's not that."

Chloe lit up a joint she found in her pocket. "What is it then?"

"Last time we were here, we were watching as Arcadia was about to get swallowed by a tornado."

"If that shit happened a week ago, I'd probably enjoy that." Chloe let out an amused huff, smoke billowing from her mouth. "I still would for some parts."

"Prescott territory." Rachel accepted the joint from Chloe and, after taking a hit, passed it onto Max.

The younger girl stared at it for a moment, then shrugged and took a pull. "That would be the weirdest tornado pattern in history."

"Yeah, only three-quarters of Arcadia." Chloe shifted, frowning. "Ugh, now my ass is wet."

Rachel shrugged, getting comfortable. "Could be worse."

"How?"

"Wet socks," Max replied, leaning against her.

"Not what I had in mind, but that is probably worse," Rachel conceded with a chuckle.

"I know it wasn't. Didn't even need a rewind." Max shook her head.

"When we break into the pool again - we are and there is no debate - I'm officially banning your rewind privileges."

Max giggled at the ridiculous, impossible to enforce rule. "Ha, I'd like to see you try."

"I would too," Chloe added with a grin. "Don't know who I'd place a bet on."

"Oh yeah, with all that money you don't have."

"I have… uh, shit can't remember." She fumbled around in her pockets, locating her loose change from earlier.

"Eighty-five cents," Max stated confidently.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Pretty sure it was eighty-six, Max. You must be really stoned."

"Pfft, nope." Max grinned, opening her hand to reveal a single cent. "Nobody's pockets are safe from the Blackwell ninja."

"You little thief!" Chloe exclaimed, snatching the coin back.

Max broke out into a fit of giggles, finding this much funnier than she would normally.

"We'll make a professional thief out of you yet, Caulfield."

Chloe nodded eagerly. "Bonnie and Clyde style."

"Or Thelma and Louise."

It took them a moment to realize Max had passed out, sleeping soundly.

"So much for being a pro smoker." Chloe shook her head.

"She'll get there. Especially if she keeps hanging around with us." Lightly tapping Max's cheek, getting no response, Rachel carefully moved out from underneath the sleeping girl. "Well, we better get her home."

"How?"

"Together." Rachel hooked her arms underneath Max's, ready to lift her. "You get her legs."

* * *

 **See we can do fun stuff.**

 **Till next week**


	14. Chapter 14

**Moment of Truth**

* * *

Stepping out of the shower, Rachel loosely tied a towel around herself as she quietly crept back into Chloe's room. Their mutual punk friend was already up and out of the house. Max, however, was still curled up on the bed. Drying herself off, she let the towel drop to the floor and moved to the closet. If Max was asleep, she would miss out. If she wasn't, would she peek? With no real way to catch her in the act, Rachel chose her outfit. A pair of ripped black jeans and a light blue cold shoulder top.

Once changed, she approached the bed lightly jabbing the sleeping brunette.

"Wakey wakey, sleepy head."

She groaned in reply, rolling over. Shaking her head, Smirking Rachel grabbed the blanket and pulled it away in one swift motion causing Max to curl up into a ball.

"Thought Chloe was the only serial blanket thief here."

"You thought wrong." Rachel stuck out her tongue, sitting down on the bed. As she tried to gauge by Max's cheeks if she had been awake before. The evidence was inconclusive. "Seems like you slept better last night. Not woken up by nightmares, at least."

"It was pretty dreamless… well, until the end." When Rachel's face fell, Max smiled and stretched out. "This horrible blonde girl stole my blanket."

"Bitch," Rachel playfully slapped her on the shoulder. "Since you're so well rested, you can help me solve the mystery of my missing girlfriend." Seeing Max tense up Rachel smiled. "Relax, she sent a text. Wants us to meet her at the Two Whales at noon on the dot."

"That's like two hours from now."

"I figured we could get some breakfast before Chloe turns up."

Max's stomach grumbled loudly. "Wouldn't miss the chance to eat Joyce's food."

"Right answer." Rachel watched her roll out of bed and change, revealing nothing. "Do you know what she's doing?"

"Not sure. Today was when I changed everything by saving…"

"William."

Max nodded, shoulders slumping. "Yeah. Then we started looking for you again. Now we're not looking for you, it's all new." She frowned, buttoning up her jeans. "I've known what's going to happen for six months. Now there's something I don't know. Chloe's not exactly… predictable."

"That's the politest way I've heard someone talk about her spontaneous ways," Rachel said, trying to lighten the mood.

"I can only imagine."

Rachel raised an eyebrow as Max jammed her feet into converses. "What, no shower? Guess you like chlorine factory smell."

"Already had one. While you were asleep."

"So, you've been awake this whole time, huh?" Rachel put a hand on her hip. "Sneaky."

Max shook her head. "No, I fell asleep again."

"Sure you did." Before she could protest, Rachel grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the stairs. "Our food awaits!"

The pair walked down the street towards the diner, a well-trekked path for both of them. Max was quiet the whole way and, for once, Rachel didn't break the silence. Even she needed a moment to think sometimes. Friday was rapidly approaching, the day this had all been leading up to. There was still a lot she didn't understand, things she knew Max was hiding, but she just had to trust her.

Turning the corner, the Two Whales Diner came into sight. A place filled with memories, both good and bad. Rachel took the lead, pushing the door open. It was pretty empty, only a few regulars. The most notable: Frank Bowers, hunched over a plate of beans. When he spotted them, he gave a stiff nod. They returned his greeting with a small wave. Awkward greetings exchanged, he turned to the counter.

"Gonna need a bill over here."

A few seconds later, someone marched out from the kitchen, slamming the paper on the table. There was a long pause, tense.

"Hope you enjoyed your meal." The comment radiated hostility.

"That's not how we talk to customers, Chloe," Joyce chastised sternly from behind the counter.

"Chloe?" Rachel and Max repeated.

They turned, spotting a familiar blue head of hair.

At the sound of their voices, Chloe swiveled around then groaned. "What the hell are you two doing here?"

"You wanted to meet us here, remember?" Rachel replied.

She crossed her arms with a smirk, eager to see where this was going.

"It's not mid-day yet." She sighed deeply, running fingers through her hair.

Hastily, Frank threw money down on the table. "Keep the change."

They watched him slink out, disappearing into his RV. Sighing, Chloe led them to a booth table.

Max sat down, a little dazed. "It's so damn weird to see you with a job."

"Wearing a skirt, too," Rachel added, taking in the uniform.

Chloe crossed her arms. "Well, someone's gotta save money up for our road trip."

"I don't know what's stranger." Max smiled. "The job, the uniform or the sudden sense of responsibility."

"Ha, take your pick. They're all damn miracles." Joyce came over with a pot of coffee, pouring out two cups. "So, what'll it be?"

Rachel smiled. "Pancakes, duh."

"Guess I'll have the same."

"Coming right up." Taking the pot, Joyce returned to the kitchen.

Max looked around the Diner, focusing on a booth nearby. "Nathan was here last time."

Rachel leaned back in her chair. "Bet I scared him away."

"No shit. Asshole thought you were…" Chloe frowned, sighing. "Anyone would freak out after seeing a ghost."

Idly tracing the nerdy graffiti on the table, Max stared out of the window. Shortly after ordering, Chloe came out of the kitchen with their order. Rachel stared at the plate when it hit the table, offering her a mischievous smirk.

"Hmm, don't think I ordered this."

Chloe deadpan stared at her, unimpressed. "See, this is exactly why I didn't say anything."

"If you can't take the heat, should stay outta the kitchen." Rachel stuck her tongue out.

"Alright, little miss pyromaniac."

"Chloe!" Joyce called from the kitchen door.

Sighing, Chloe left them to their breakfast. The pair dug into the pancakes, silently appreciating Joyce's cooking. Shortly after finishing their meal, Chloe returned from the kitchen. changed out of her uniform.

"Okay, losers. Let's bail."

Leaving money for the food and a tip, and narrowly avoiding Joyce's protests, they left the diner. Instead of continuing on to Chloe's house, the truck turned into the beach parking lot. Rachel and Max looked at each other, confused. When Chloe got out of the truck, Rachel shrugged and followed her. Reluctantly, Max trailed behind.

Suddenly, Chloe stopped just shy of the ocean and turned to face them. "I wanted to talk."

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "We could talk at your house."

"Well, it'd be easier for you guys to avoid there." Chloe shrugged, kicking a stone. "Nowhere to hide out here."

Rachel knew what she was going to say next. She had been waiting for it, only surprised that it took Chloe so long to mention. How would Max deal with this, she wondered?

Sighing, Chloe focused on Max. "I wanted to trust you, not ask any questions, but… I just can't. I have to know what you're planning on Friday. Exactly how are you gonna take Jeffershit down? And don't even try to bullshit me."

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "You know she ain't gonna let it go."

Max shook her head, walking away. "We are not having this conversation."

"Fine", Rachel muttered, turning to Chloe. "She's going to use herself as bait, let the police catch Jefferson and Nathan in the act."

"Rachel!"

"You'd rather she finds out during, and probably getting herself killed while your out cold, it's a stupid idea. And if something happens to you, we're fucked. Your rewind is useless. It should be me-"

"You're both fucking crazy." Chloe interrupted, fists clenching. "No."

"Chloe, listen to me." Rachel stood in front of her, staring straight into those familiar blue eyes. "If I do this, Max can just rewind if something… happens. I won't remember."

"I will..." Max muttered under her breath, just loud enough for them to hear.

Rachel refused to let this go. Not now. "You're gonna remember either way. At least you get the chance to change it this way. Trust me, I don't want to do this either. We don't have a choice. "

"I can't die, remember."

"What if you're already unconscious? What if, this time, the rules suddenly change? We don't know how your powers work. Not really. It's all guesswork."

"I..."

"Don't know," Rachel finished for her. "It's not worth the risk."

Chloe was quiet, for a long time. She just stared at Rachel then at Max, struggling to settle on an emotion - angry, depressed, disgust, fear and finally… reluctant acceptance.

"If you're seriously thinking about this stupid plan, Rachel should do it."

"But…" Max didn't get the chance to finish.

"Rachel's right," Chloe sighed. "You're our ace in the hole. No sense risking it."

With that, she walked away, following the shoreline. To cool off, no doubt. Better leave her alone. That was much calmer than Rachel had been expecting. She looked over at Max, who stood there, almost stunned.

"Don't even think about rewinding this."

"I… don't have the energy for a never-ending rewind circle right now.""

"Not like we could stop you anyway."

"That would be interesting to see," Max uttered tiredly.

Sighing, she sat down on the beach, staring out across the ocean. Rachel glanced over, watching Chloe pace along the sand. Although it made sense, nobody was happy about this. At least Max had seen sense. Whether she would stick to that decision, though, was yet to be seen.

Twenty four hours had passed. One whole day.

Chloe hadn't spoken to either of them much the rest of Wednesday, still processing. Thursday morning, just before she went to work, she hugged them both. They didn't say a word about the afternoon before, didn't need to. By the time she dropped them at the Two Whales, she was almost back to her usual self.

They didn't even need to order this time. Joyce already having their food ready to go. Same as yesterday. Chloe's shift would be longer today. After finishing their pancakes and coffee, Max and Rachel stood up to leave.

As Chloe walked passed, Rachel grinned mischievously pinched her ass, causing her to drop the empty tray she was carrying. Cackling at her girlfriend's initial shock, she threw an arm around Max and guided them out of the Diner before Chloe had the chance to recover.

"Time to find something to entertain ourselves until this evening."

After a short walk, they found themselves on the old train tracks, walking along it like a tightrope. Rachel glanced over at Max, who had been hesitant at first to go anywhere near the rails.

"I'm surprised you're okay with this."

Max shrugged, wobbling slightly. She even managed a small smile. "This'll make for a better railway memory."

Rachel smiled too. Max was slowly distancing herself from the past. Living in the now. After tomorrow, she could start over again. An almost clean slate. As much as any of them could hope for, at least. Eventually, they reached the junkyard. Just as it started to rain, the pair quickly sought shelter in the abandoned brick building. Rachel and Chloe's secret den.

"Oh, Oregon and your bipolar weather."

Rachel sighed, tracing her fingers along the wall where she and Chloe had signed their names. It felt so long ago now. Time to update it. She took a fading marker from the makeshift table in the corner, pulling the cap off with her teeth. Locating a spaced out Max in the doorway she grinned, tossing the cap at her head.

"Ow…"

"Oh please, that didn't hurt." Rachel scoffed loudly. "And a master of time is supposed to catch it." She pointed at the wall, then held the pen out. "Your name's missing."

"Hmm, which one to sign?" Max pondered as she took the marker and tapped the end against her chin. "Blackwell Ninja, Mysterious Max, Bat-Max..."

Rachel lightly shoved her shoulder, smirking. "Pain in the ass Max."

"That's just Max to you." She stuck out her tongue, writing her name underneath.

As she inspected her work, Rachel pulled out her phone and snapped a picture. Before Max could complain, she sent it to Chloe. For safekeeping.

"Rach…"

"Sorry. The complaints department is closed today."

"At least let me see it." Shrugging, she showed Max the photo. After some time, she sighed. "Okay, it's a good shot. Even if I'm in it."

"It's good because you're in it, Max."

Rachel pulled her into a hug, hoping that would quell her protests. It did. There was something else she wanted to talk about today, something Max would not give up willingly. Curious, she moved enough brown hair to see the rewind detector spot. Her heart sank when she saw six small black marks behind Max's ear.

Enough was enough.

She pulled back abruptly, expression hurt. "Stop it."

"Stop what?" Max replied nervously, fidgeting on the spot, trying to look anywhere else other than at Rachel.

"Stop playing dumb and rewinding on me." The instant guilt confirmed what she already knew. "Don't you trust me?"

"It's not that!"

"Then what is it?"

Bottom lip quivering, eyes watery, Max shook her head and mumbled, "It doesn't matter."

"Bull-fucking-shit," Rachel snapped back, more aggressively than she meant to. When Max winced, she ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "For fuck's sake, just tell me the truth. For once. Please..."

"It doesn't matter anymore because you're alive…" Max stopped, a look of surprise on her face, then quickly glanced down at her hand.

Rachel felt the anger bubble back up inside her. No way was she going to let her rewind. "Don't you fucking dare." She grabbed Max's wrist. "Whatever you're still hiding, you need to tell me." Max struggled, only making her grip on tighter. "Now."

Almost like a switch had been flipped, Max broke down before her.

"Because it was you!"

She fell to her knees, sobbing as Rachel limply kept a hold of her wrist.

"You caused the storm."

* * *

 ***Drops mic, walks out***


	15. Chapter 15

**The Eye of the Storm**

* * *

 **So...**

 **Where were we?**

* * *

The sound of howling wind grew louder as Max came to. Dark menacing clouds loomed overhead against a dull gray backdrop. A blinding flash of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder that shook the air.

"What the hell? No, not this again," Max thought aloud, getting to her feet. Dry sand crumbled off her hands as she looked around.

In the distance, a figure stood. Long blonde hair swirled around them as they stared down the swirling vortex. "It's not exactly hell, but it's close enough."

"Uh, where... who are you?"

The figure, a woman on closer inspection, turned to face her. A single blue feather swung in the wind. Her black jeans were faded, coupled with a red flannel shirt. "Max Caulfield. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Rachel... Amber?"

Rachel smiled wistfully. "Got it in one. Chloe said you were smart."

"Wait, if you're here and I'm here, that means I'm..." Max went silent, turning pale. "Where's Chloe?"

"You're not dead. It's gonna take more than that to kill you off." Her smile faltered as she turned, letting out a quiet sob. "I haven't seen Chloe since..."

"Since when? What's going on here?"

Rachel didn't answer her question, countering with her own. "Why, Max? Why didn't you save her? There was nothing stopping you!"

Taken aback by the sudden outburst of anger, Max cowered. "The storm. I... had no choice. I didn't want to..."

"You could have saved her. It wasn't coming back, you should've known that! I was relying on you changing your mind!" The rage fizzled into a despair-filled wail as she fell to her knees.

"I... caused the storm, by saving Chloe." Max took a hesitant step towards her. "It was the only way... and the hardest decision of my life."

"No..." Rachel's voice was barely audible against the howling winds. She turned to face Max, her face filled with painful regret. "I... caused the storm, Max. It was my fault."

"What? How?"

Angrily swiping her tears away, Rachel sighed. "I swore I was done crying. You do realize you've lived that week three times now, Max."

Max frowned, shaking her head. "Three? No, it was twice. Second time, I was sorta in... autopilot mode, I guess. Right up to Chloe's funeral..."

"The first time, when Chloe was shot, you were still in that pig Jefferson's class." Rachel spat his name with as much malice as she could muster. "After I was... murdered, I watched life in Arcadia Bay continue. Nobody cared, well except Chloe. I got angry. At Nathan, Jefferson, the whole fucking town. I... made a deal I shouldn't have." She hung her head, answering the unspoken question by holding out her arm for Max to see the number two hundred and forty eight going up her forearm to the sleeve of her shirt. "When you die, you're given a number."

When Max looked down to find her own number, Rachel sighed even deeper.

"Already told you. You're not dead. This number is basically your ticket number. When it's called, you get to go back. Measured in years."

"Two hundred and forty eight years... seems like an eternity."

"Pretty average, really. Helps avoid meeting former families, not that anyone usually remembers. Safety precaution." She shrugged, failing to hide her pain. "Anyway, I was angry, stupid, not thinking straight. Kinda a pattern. Someone made me an offer. I'd get my revenge on Arcadia, on all those fuckers who were supposed to be my friends, supposed to care... All I had to do was switch places with him in line."

Max stomach and heart dropped. "Rachel, Chloe was..."

Rachel cut her off before she could finish that thought. "I was going to send it once Chloe left Arcadia. When she was killed, I didn't hold back. She was happy to stand by me and watch Arcadia burn." Seeing the look of horror on Max's face, she crossed her arms defensively. "Don't judge her too harshly. She might act tough, but she's just as vulnerable as anyone else. Maybe even more so. Anyway, the day of her funeral, that's when she saw you. First time in five years. She tried to pretend she didn't give a shit, but when she saw you break down... she cried. Later that day, the storm hit. You were oblivious to it, wandered to the lighthouse in a daze. Almost got yourself killed when the top of it almost crushed you."

"I remember, but-"

"It wasn't a dream," Rachel interrupted. "Even after five years of silence, she still cared about you. She didn't want you to die before you had the chance to live. So, she convinced the keeper of time to pass his responsibility to you, so you could save yourself. That's where your powers came from. Time needs a vessel, it's not picky who. Your... hard rewind, I guess you could call it, saved you. It's what prevented Jefferson from smashing your head in with a tripod, what stopped your suicide attempt. With it, you can save Chloe. One last time."

Max was speechless, earning a bittersweet smile from Rachel.

"When the lighthouse fell, you must've been thinking about the day Chloe got shot. Your hard rewind threw you back, left your brain scrambled. That was your second week, when you sacrificed her. When she got back up here, her memories returned. She knew what I did, the pain I caused you, Joyce and so many others. She was... furious. To the point where she refused to see me again. Can't blame her, I would be too. That was the last time I saw her. You thought two hundred and forty eight years was long..." Shakily, Rachel pulled up her sleeve, revealing a huge string of numbers. "Try two and a half million years... and I never get to see the woman I love ever again."

"Holy shit!" Max's eyes bulged at the numbers.

"I changed the storm's target, hoping... no, praying you would change your mind. To go back one more time and give her the life she deserved... but you didn't. All the pain you were feeling, all that grief, that was my fault. I accept the responsibility. Now, I need you to save her. You're halfway there, just gotta take the final step."

"I can save her... and Arcadia Bay." Rachel nodded slowly, confirming. "What about the storm's new target?"

"You called this place hell. Not exactly. This is known as the Badlands. It's where..." she faltered, her voice wavering, "where souls come to die. Where they are obliterated by their greatest regret..."

It didn't take long for Max to understand. "No... no, Rachel. You don't deserve that!"

Rachel let out a self-depreciative laugh. "Don't I? I let everyone in Arcadia suffer over a temper tantrum. Wasn't much better when I was alive. A destructive presence."

Imposing walls of wind and lighting drew closer to where the two girls stood, Max could feel the electricity in the air and on her skin.

As calmly as possible, Rachel looked over at the impending disaster, unable to suppress her shakes. "You need to get out of here now. Save Chloe, make her happy. Promise me that."

"I promise."

With those two words, Max's vision faded in and out. The last thing she saw was Rachel, staring down the tornado as it barreled towards her. A pained scream echoed around, gradually fading away to a stagnant, heavy silence.

A blinding flash. The sound of howling winds and pained scream faded, replaced by a familiar voice that made Max's skin crawl.

"Alfred Hitchcock famously called film 'Little pieces of time', but he could be talking about photography as he likely was," Jefferson droned on.

'This is so surreal… wowser, major deja vu.' She flexed her hands, just to make sure she was actually back.

"Now, can you give me an example of a photographer who perfectly captured the human condition in black and white?"

His eyes scanned the classroom, expectant. Everyone looked down, pretending to make notes or feign not hearing the question.

'Okay, time to sort this out. Once and for all.'

She crammed her belongings into her bag, got to her feet and went to walk out of the classroom. Several students watched her, mouths agape.

"Uh, Miss Caulfield," Jefferson called out to her. "I know you're eager to get out, but class isn't over yet."

She stopped dead in her tracks, feeling the rage bubble over. "Yes it is, you sick fuck."

Everyone in the room went silent, hushed whispers erupting seconds later.

"I'm sorry. What was that?" His voice was an uneven blend of anger and disbelief.

"I know what you are," she continued firmly, turning to face him. "A wolf in sheep's clothing. You're not a photographer, or an artist, and I'm ASHAMED to even want to bare those titles," she spat, body visibly shaking with twelve months of pent-up anger and hatred.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about Miss Caulfield, but I think you better stay behind after class and-"

Max scoffed loudly, interrupting him mid-sentence. "Not a chance in hell. I know what you've DONE."

She paused to pass a sympathetic glance at Kate, who had only now just looked up from her idle doodling. Still a million miles away. Max's heart ached, righteous fury burning deep at her very core.

She would get justice, even if it was the very last thing she ever did.

"I swear I will do EVERYTHING in my power to make sure you BURN IN HELL!" She wasn't even trying to hide the rage now.

It was enough to turn the monster before her pale.

Trying to regain his composure, Jefferson took a step towards her. "Max, you need to calm down or I'll have to get Principal Wells involved. I don't want to do that." His eyes shifted to something much more menacing, his true nature. "And I don't think you want that, either."

That made her laugh. "Ha, do it. I bet he doesn't know, does he? None of them do." She motioned to the rest of the class. "Why don't you tell them, huh? The price of your search for the 'loss of innocence'. TELL THEM WHERE RACHEL IS!"

Her final sentence echoed in the now deathly silence. A pencil clattered to the floor. Max searched for the source of the sound, eyes focusing on Kate. She was frozen in place, the glassy-eyed look long gone. Fear had replaced it.

The outright accusation caught Jefferson off guard. It took him a few seconds to recover, his mask replaced. "Max, you need to come with me. Now."

"I am not going anywhere with you, asshole. You can't silence me. I know what you did to her and I know where she is." There was no stopping her now, completely consumed by a burning fire. "The same place she's been for the past six months. Not by choice. You made sure of that."

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the time. 3:55pm. Her cue.

"I'm done here."

Before he could react with anything other than static infuriating shock, she made her move. Speed walking across the classroom, she paused when she reached the door.

"See you in hell, motherfucker."

She slammed the door, leaving Blackwell. Not once did she look back.

Rachel stood there, stunned into silence. Everything Max had just told her made her feel sick to her stomach. Her mouth moved, ready to form sentences, but no words came out. There wasn't anything she could say right now. Nothing that would make this better.

All of this really was her fault.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to but…" Max winced, eyes watery. "...plans changed."

"How?" Rachel pressed, taking a step forward.

Halfway through her step, Max had already teleported to the empty doorway of the brick shack. More upset than before. She had rewound… something.

"No! Stay back… please…"

Rachel hesitated, heart feeling heavy. Hearing that hurt .

"None of this will matter after tomorrow. You made a mistake before and…" Max paused, shaking her head. "I have to go."

Before she had even finished her sentence, she was gone. It took Rachel a few seconds to follow, pushing past the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Right now, she had to make sure Max was okay. Nothing else mattered.

If she even wanted to talk to her right now…

After several minutes of searching, she heard crying. Painfully familiar. Heart sinking, she cautiously snuck closer. She would probably just run away again if she knew Rachel was there.

"So stupid…" Max muttered to herself between sobs. "Why? Why did I let myself fall for her?"

Rachel knew who she meant. Chloe. Everything Max had done up till now had been for her, to make her happy. Feeling a deep cutting pang of guilt, Rachel pulled out her phone.

It was her turn to pay the price.

* * *

 ***Hold out a box of tissues***

 **Till next week**


	16. Chapter 16

**Both**

* * *

Hi all, Sorry this was supposed to be posted yesterday, But I forgot what day it was XD.

Here's the last one, see you at the bottom.

* * *

Punching in Chloe's number, Rachel hoped she would pick up. Her shift at the Two Whales must be over soon. When she didn't get a response, she dialed again and again until Chloe picked up the phone, sighing with relief.

"Oh, thank god. I thought… Is everything okay? Rach?"

No. Everything wasn't okay…

"You need to come pick Max up. Now."

"What happened?" Chloe asked, panic setting in.

"She… needs you."

Those words were surprisingly hard to say. To admit defeat. Even after all the times she had done everything she could to help Max, it would never be enough. She'd caused more trouble than she could ever make better. Helpless and useless.

"Where are you?"

"Near the junkyard."

"I'll be there as soon as I can. Don't move."

Rachel let the hangup dial ring a few times before shoving her phone in her pocket. Once Chloe was here, she could leave them alone. That would be better for everyone. The distant screech of tires let her know Chloe had arrived.

"Rach!" Chloe skidded to a halt, out of breath.

"You need to talk to her." She pointed over at Max, who was sat on the floor hugging herself.

"What the fuck?"

As briefly as possible, Rachel filled Chloe in on everything Max had told her about the true cause of the storm… and what she had just overheard.

"That… shit…"

"Yeah. Please just… fuck , I don't know."

This was all too much. Chloe and Max would be better without her here.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll see you later, Chloe."

Rachel turned away, not looking back once as she headed back to Blackwell. Max would be okay now.

Eventually, she made it to Blackwell. It took her a while on foot. Not that she had paid much attention to… well, anything on her way over. She just felt numb. The very last thing she wanted was to bump into Victoria and her clones. Which was exactly what happened, of course.

"Oh, look who it is." Victoria crossed her arms defensively. "Any new accusations you want to throw at me this time?"

"What?"

"Don't play innocent," Taylor scoffed.

Courtney scowled at her. "You blamed her for what happened to Kate."

This whole conversation made Rachel want to scream. "For fuck's sake. I didn't say you drugged Kate."

"You basically implied it was my fault."

Rachel sighed deeply. She was not mentally prepared to have this heated debate. "No. God, use your brain for once . And not that dense collective hive mind you three share."

"Um, excuse you?"

"Not everything is about you, Victoria. Nathan is the culprit here."

"Sure, like I'm going to believe you."

As if on cue, Nathan walked around the corner. The second he saw Rachel, he froze up. Rage boiled through her veins the second she saw him. One of the two people who had ruined her life. Before he could run away, she had him pinned against the nearest wall by the throat with her forearm.

"Get off me!"

He struggled against her grip, which only made her pressed harder.

"I remember what you did, Prescott," she hissed at him. "And by tomorrow, everyone else will know, too."

Trap baited, she let him go. He would run to Jefferson now. Just what she wanted. Neither of them could hide any longer. She turned to Victoria, who was stunned into silence, while gesturing towards where Nathan was.

"Look, if you still don't believe me, check his room. Bedside table, top drawer." Done with this, Rachel marched away from the slowly gathering crowd.

"Wait. Where are you going?"

Stopping for a moment, Rachel glanced over her shoulder, voice filled with defeated acceptance. "Does it matter? After today, you'll never have to see me again. None of you will…"

As Victoria watched Rachel disappear inside Blackwell, she frowned. She didn't really understand what had just happened, no matter how many angles she approached it from.

"Do you…?" Taylor's question trailed off, unfinished.

Victoria turned to her, arms crossed. "Do I what?"

"Think she's telling the truth?" Courtney tentatively finished for her.

Even Victoria had to admit Nathan had been acting… strange recently. Especially around Rachel. She'd never seen him so nervous and scared. No, those words weren't strong enough. If something serious was going on, she wanted to know.

"Only one way to find out," she muttered to herself, leading her friends towards the boys' dorm.

They snuck inside, heading to Nathan's room. Victoria's heart was racing. She didn't want to believe Rachel, but she had to make sure. The door was ajar, unusual. Cautiously, she poked her head inside. It looked ransacked, the couch pulled out, clothes and papers strewn across the room.

"What the fuck?" Taylor mumbled under her breath.

"It had to be Nathan, right?" Courtney asked sheepishly.

Not saying a word, Victoria approached the bedside dresser. With shaking hands, she opened the topmost drawer. Her stomach sank when she saw the disturbing photo of Chloe.

"Tori?" Taylor came up behind her, eyes widening.

"What?" Courtney joined them, gasping the second she saw the photo. "I'm… gonna be sick…"

Swallowing hard, Victoria pulled her phone out of her pocket and scrolled through her contact list. First, she tried Rachel. No answer. After several attempts, she tried another number, still listed as Kari Price. It took her three times to get through.

"Victoria, what a pleasure. Look, I'm kinda busy here, so-"

"Rachel," Victoria blurted out.

"What about her?" Chloe's tone darkened. "What did you do?"

"Nothing! She… I can't get hold of her. She went crazy on Nathan and then said nobody would ever see her again."

"The fuck?! Why didn't you stop her?"

"I… don't know…"

She heard muffled voices and shuffling, then a new voice. "Victoria, it's Max. When was the last time you saw Rachel?"

"Uh… maybe half an hour. She said to look in his room. It's like… a tornado's ripped through here. There's… something else. Photos…" Victoria hesitated, feeling sick to her stomach, "...of Chloe."

Max inhaled then exhaled deeply. "Get rid of them."

"What? But…"

"Just do it. Please."

The hint of desperation in Max's voice halted any possible protests.

"Okay."

Max sighed with relief. "Thank you. One last thing. Stay with Taylor and Courtney. And, uh… go to the Two Whales. Invite Kate along too. Consider it an apology."

"She probably won't want to go with me…"

Why would she accept?

"Don't know until you try. And you guys will be safer together. I'll… swing by later. Look, I've got to go now. Just… be careful. Stay away from Nathan and Jefferson."

"Wait, Jefferson? Max, what-?"

She didn't get the chance to finish her question before Max hung up. Staring at the phone, she tried to process everything that had just happened. More questions than answers. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the photos from the drawer and pulled out a lighter. They all left Nathan's room, Victoria dropping the burning photos in the nearest trash can. When she turned to Taylor and Courtney, they both looked pale and worried, waiting to hear if she had a plan.

"We're going to the Two Whales. Kate's coming with us," Victoria stated as confidently as she could.

They nodded, silent. Gathering up her courage, Victoria took her phone again and dialed Kate's number. She would invite her in person… but she still felt guilty.

"Hello?"

"Kate, it's Victoria."

"Oh, hi. Is... everything okay?"

"I… yeah. I was just planning on heading over to the Two Whales and… wondered if you wanted to come too." When she heard nothing but silence, she quickly added, "Max said she'd meet us there later. My treat. I… I've been a bit of a bitch to you unnecessarily. It's the least I can do."

In the background, she heard muffled whispers. "Is it okay if Dana comes too?"

After everything, Victoria couldn't blame her for asking. "Sure, that's fine."

More hushed mutterings, then an uncertain, "Okay. Give me a few minutes."

"I'll be outside."

All she could do now was wait… and feel nervous.

It was early evening by the time Chloe and Max pulled up outside the old Prescott barn. Close enough to see Jefferson's car and Nathan's red pick up truck, but far enough away to stay hidden. The thought of what they must be doing now, with Rachel trapped unconscious, made Max's stomach turn.

"I seriously want to rewind this and stop her."

"You're not the only one… she didn't even fucking wait. If Victoria hadn't told us, then…" Chloe frowned, shaking her head. "Let's just get this over with."

Several cars pulled up nearby, David stepping out. "You girls alright?"

"No. Not until Rachel's out of that hellhole."

"She'll be out soon," Max reassured confidently. "Right, Mr. Madson?"

He nodded, face filled with determination. "Yes. And those fuckers won't get away with this. Hell, I'll take them down myself if I have to. You don't know how long I've been investigating their shady behavior. Too long."

Standing straight, he walked over to the small group of officers. Max and Chloe waited with bated breath, watching them head inside the barn. Seconds felt like hours. All the while, Max kept staring at the wooden doors. Not long now and they would be…

Suddenly, someone emerged from the building. Only one. They staggered along the dirt path, a shadowy figure. Something didn't feel right. reaching over, Max flicked the truck's headlights on. The person recoiled, temporarily blinded. Max's heart and stomach dropped to the floor when she realized who it was.

Messy brown hair, cracked glasses, blood stained face and… the eyes of a killer.

Jefferson fired wildly, the bullet hitting the windscreen and sending shattered glass flying. That was as far as it got. Within seconds, the glass fixed itself and the bullet returned to the gun barrel. Jefferson disappeared back into the barn, David and the other police officers once again ready to storm the bunker. Max let time run again, she estimated just enough for them to reach the trap door stairs.

Pausing everything, she left the truck and followed after them. They had already found the trap door and got it open. She walked down the stairs, past the officers and David, approaching the large metal door. Letting her fingers glide across the numberpad - she would never forget the code - Max went inside the one place that had haunted her nightmares. Her living hell.

The Darkroom.

Her eyes instantly focused on Rachel's unconscious form. Jefferson and Nathan loomed over her, holding cameras like tourists at a landmark. The whole setup made her feel weak and sick to the stomach. On the coffee table behind them were various vials, syringes, magazines and two guns. Pushing past her discomfort, she hid the weapons in a cupboard. As much as she wanted to put a bullet through both their heads, she didn't.

This would hurt them more.

Threat removed, she passed a reprimanding glare over at Rachel. 'You are so in trouble when this is over.'

Once more, she looked at Jefferson and Nathan, an idea forming. She crouched down, tying their shoelaces together. There was one last thing she could do, to add to their confusion and humiliation. As quickly as possible, she pulled both their pants down to their ankles. Taking a step back, she grabbed her camera and took a photo.

'One for the newspapers.'

That brought a small smile to her lips. Work done, she left the bunker and returned to the truck. She rested her head on Chloe's shoulder, allowing time to resume with a sigh. In a few moments, this would all be over.

About fucking time.

It was quiet. Too damn quiet. Chloe hated hospitals. They made her skin crawl. After what happened with William and Rachel, no wonder. Ignoring the unease, she jammed some coins into the lobby vending machine, punching in numbers. She didn't really pay attention to which. Too tired and hungry.

Taking the snacks, she walked back out of the lobby and down the corridor. She stopped outside a room she knew too well already. When she entered the room, she saw Max sitting in a chair beside the occupied bed. She didn't turn around, continuing to stare at… something. Chloe couldn't see from here. Shrugging, she moved over and gently tapped Max on the back of the head with a bag of chips.

"Here." That was when she saw what Max had been doing - looking at Rachel's wrist. "What're you doing?"

"Oh, just… checking something."

"What, though? You keep doing that." Chloe was determined to get a proper answer. "And don't give me any bullshit about looking at her tattoo. That's the other wrist and we both know that."

"Before, there was a number," Max finally replied, cautious.

"You'll have to be more specific about which before."

"Before… I got the chance to fix everything. When we were… dead."

Chloe frowned as she sat down. "You didn't die, though."

"Not for lack of trying…" Max's shoulders slumped. "I was in a really bad place, Chloe. Lucky for us, it basically reset everything instead."

"Shit, Max. You didn't get hit by a car… did you?"

"Not the first time, no. It… took me a while to get back to where I wanted to be, once I decided to save Rachel too." Max sighed, shaking her head. "Anyway, about the number. Think of it like a ticket in a waiting line. You get one when you die. Rachel's was… much bigger than most."

"So, you were looking for that. Is that what your nightmares are about?"

"Yes… and no. Rachel was willing to… end it all. To keep you and Arcadia safe. To just cease existing. Completely."

There was no point in getting angry about this. Not now. "You're both as bad as each other. You know that, right? Putting yourself in danger."

"Like you can talk."

"Hmm, I guess we all deserve each other, then." Chloe frowned, something Rachel told her slowly moving itself to the forefront of her mind. "You know, There's something else Rachel told me, before the whole barn thing."

"She did?"

"Yeah. She said that…" Chloe paused, feeling her heart race as she took a deep breath. "She said you were… in love with me."

Max's eyes widened, like a deer in the headlights. "Oh…"

"As much of a mischief maker as Rachel is, she wouldn't lie about this. I take it you weren't going to tell me."

"Not yet. It's… complicated." Max sighed, resigned. "I have a choice."

"Sensing a theme here."

"No shit, Sherlock. Choices always have consequences but… every option sucks. Someone's gonna get hurt."

"Knowing you, you're overthinking this. You always do."

"Well, someone has to do the thinking."

"Rude. You should just do what I do." Chloe grinned at her. "Cheat. Take a selfie, like the hipster you are, ask a question and wait a couple days. Then, jump back with the answer. Simple, right?"

"I… never thought about that."

"Once again, the humble sidekick saves the day."

"Humble my ass." Max took the camera out of her bag, frowning at it.

"What're you waiting for?" Chloe asked, tilting her head. "Or… have you already done it?"

"I just… if I get the answer I think I'll get, nothing changes."

Rolling her eyes, Chloe gently nudged her arm. "You don't know until you try. You can rewind time, not see the future… well, until you rewind it, I guess. Ugh, just do it already before I get a headache."

"Okay, okay…"

Chloe watched Max take her selfie, something shifting in her eyes as the flash faded away. No words were exchanged. With a knowing, smug smile, Max scribbled something on the back of the picture, then moved closer to the punk leaned in and kissed her. There was no time to really process what was happening until it was over. With an amused wink, future Max disappeared, gradually replaced by the Max she had been talking to moments ago.

She only vaguely registered Max turning over the photo, her eyebrow raising at the single word written across the back.

"You okay, Chloe?"

"I, uh, yeah. Yeah," she stammered, feeling her cheeks heat up. "Well, what does it say?"

"It's like...none of the answers I was expecting, wait...you sound confident that it did actually work," Max replied suspiciously.

"Because you just told me it did. Well… not tell, but you made it pretty damn clear."

As she slowly realized what Chloe meant, she held up the picture.

BOTH.

What she didn't expect was for the photo to be snatched from her hands.

"I'm keeping this as evidence." The voice was scratchy and tired, but familiar. "Nowhere to run or hide."

Chloe and Max looked down at the bed, met with a dazed smile. Rachel was awake.

"Was hoping I'd wake up to a smile."

Clenching her fists, Chloe crossed her arms. While she was happy - an understatement - to see Rachel was okay, she felt just as angry at the stunt she had pulled.

"Not after the shit you pulled. What the actual fuck, Rach?"

When Rachel's eyes drifted over to the door, Max crossed her arms challenging. "Try it, you won't even make it out of that bed."

"Sometimes, I hate your power."

Max shrugged. "Only when it's used against you."

Rachel was the first to break the silence. "Look, I…"

"No," Chloe interrupted. "I don't want to hear bullshit excuses or apologies. Just… stay. Please."

"Never thought I'd hear the day Chloe Price said please. Okay." Shrugging, she held up the photo Max had just taken. "But only if you tell me what this is about."

"Why tell you when I can show you?"

With impulsive confidence, Max kissed Rachel. While it didn't last long, nobody could explain it away. When she pulled back, Max looked at Rachel then Chloe, trying to gauge their reactions.

"It would be nice to not have to rewind that one."

Rachel blinked several times, then broke out into a huge grin. "Just how many times have you rewound us kissing, Caulfield."

"I plead the fifth."

"That many, huh!"

Chloe scoffed. "At least she hasn't done that to me."

Rachel raised an eyebrow as she watched Max turn positively pink. "Oh really?"

"So not fair," Chloe muttered.

"In my defense it was pre… saving Rachel. And you dared me… I may have rewound it a few times..."

"So, I got the first official kiss of us as a couple… trio," Rachel corrected.

"Not exactly." Chloe smirked.

"But we haven't…" Max didn't get the chance to finish.

"Future you did."

"This is gonna be so much fun." Rachel grinned.

Chloe smiled too. "Say that again. Still got six months of frustrations."

"Hey, take it easy on me, guys. I'm kinda new to the whole relationship thing, let alone well… three. Is there a manual?" Max asked, only half joking.

"Pretty sure me and Rachel have the manual memorised"

"And I'm pretty sure you're both gonna re-write those rules at any given point" Max countered sitting a free space on the bed.

"Maybe" Rachel grinned, "Heard anything from my dad?"

"Only briefly, The whole thing exploded last night, Judge ruled in you're fathers favor, Sean's practices and accounts are under full investigation, and also" Max paused producing the picture of Jefferson and Nathan caught with their pants down and handed it to Rachel. "This anonymously appeared in the papers in-box early this morning"

"Which one" Rachel frowned

"All of them" Max grinned

"That's my girl"

"Our girl" Chloe corrected, as the girls chuckled Rachel's phone buzzed with a message. Then another and another. A long spamming session. Curious, Rachel checked it, a huge grin plastered to her face.

"Speaking of kissing…"

She turned the phone for Chloe and Max to see, showing them a long string of texts from none other than Victoria Chase.

07:30 Bitchtoria: Where are you

07:31 Bitchtoria: You better be coming back to Blackwell

07:35 Bitchtoria: I'm blaming you for this

07:35 Bitchtoria: and Dana

07:36 Bitchtoria: and that other girl Max for suggesting a date

07:55 Bitchtoria: I freaking kissed Kate Marsh

07:58 Bitchtoria: why would I do that

08:00 Bitchtoria: I'm never leaving my room ever again

08:02 Bitchtoria: What do I do

08:15 Bitchtoria: Help

Chloe cackled at the on screen panic. "Oh man, talk about a meltdown. Shame we're missing the live show."

"I didn't say date," Max defended. "I just said they should go to the Two Whales."

Rachel grinned. "Sounds like a date to me."

Wiping away tears of laughter, Chloe exhaled deeply to calm herself down. "Damn, I almost wish I was still at Blackhell."

"That drama will be worth going back for." Rachel stole Max's camera, looking through the viewfinder. "You better take plenty of pictures, Max."

Max snatched her camera back, before Rachel took any photos. "No blackmail material."

"Who said anything about blackmail?" Chloe asked innocently, failing to hide her mischievous intentions.

"With you guys, it's basically implied."

"We'd only use it for good," Rachel reassured. "It'll help Victoria mellow out. Trust me."

"Against my better judgement… I'll believe you. For now." Max shook her head, but smiled. "This is going to be… so strange."

"Haven't you learned anything yet, Max? Life is strange," Chloe added, shuffling forward in her chair.

"Yeah, you prove that."

Chloe narrowed her eyes. "Ouch. Low blow."

Rachel took one of Max's and Chloe's hands in hers, giving a light squeeze. "We can be strange together."

"Together," they repeated.

-END-

* * *

And that's it.

Happy ever after for all involved...

Accept Jefferfuck, Nathan and Sean.

As for what's next. Well, Next week we're gonna be starting up an old favorite, Two hearts one soul is being picked back up with a very strong chapter, So looking forward to seeing the comments below, and see you all next week.

Adios XD


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